As Ohio continues to see a surge of COVID-19 cases, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is preparing to host its first two public vaccine clinics for the newest approved pediatric demographic.Earlier this month, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommended both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for children as young as six months old through five years old.On Wednesday afternoon, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is set to host its first public vaccine clinic open to this new age range. It also plans to host a similar vaccine clinic on Thursday at its Liberty campus. Children’s told WLWT that both clinics are full with hundreds of children signed up and cannot take any more appointments. More clinics are set to take place on July 6 at its Burnet Avenue location and on July 7 at its Liberty campus.Sign-ups for the clinics are required. Walk-ins are not welcome. You can sign up here. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is continuing to offer Pfizer vaccines to its patients. Already, it has administered approximately 40,000 shots since 2020. For younger children, there is three-dose series with a small dose size as compared to adults or older kids. The first two shots are administered three weeks apart and the third dose is administered eight weeks after the second shot.WLWT spoke with Children’s Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Patty Manning-Courtney who had this word of caution for families who may be skeptical about getting their children vaccinated.”Don’t assume that your child shouldn’t get vaccinated,” Manning-Courtney said. “Don’t just assume that your child is not at risk from COVID. Don’t assume that children don’t get COVID or don’t get very sick and COVID. I’ve said this many times in these forums. And here at Cincinnati Children’s, we’ve had close to 1,000 children hospitalized since the beginning of the pandemic with COVID. Some with very serious complications which would be avoidable with vaccination and protection.”Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center told WLWT it plans to host these public clinics by placing patients, meaning younger kids, in private clinic rooms rather than one open space to provide greater privacy and aid if younger kids need to be held in order to receive their vaccines. Patty Manning-Courtney told WLWT that the hospital believes the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for younger children in protection against serious infection from the virus and its variants.Still, Manning-Courtney recommends people talk with their own pediatrician first to determine the best plan of action to keep their kids safe.”We appreciate how seriously families take the decision to vaccinate their children and how much concern there has been around safety on both sides of this equation,” Manning-Courtney said. “I can’t think of a pediatrician who hasn’t vaccinated their child in every age group. We are the first to line up and do this. And if you have a good trusting relationship with your pediatrician, then I think and you asked that question, ‘What would you do with your child?’ We all say we would vaccinate.”If someone doesn’t want to attend or wait for an open clinic appointment, Manning-Courtney recommends people contact their own pediatrician or local pharmacy to try and sign their children up for a vaccine.
As Ohio continues to see a surge of COVID-19 cases, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is preparing to host its first two public vaccine clinics for the newest approved pediatric demographic.
Earlier this month, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommended both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for children as young as six months old through five years old.
On Wednesday afternoon, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is set to host its first public vaccine clinic open to this new age range. It also plans to host a similar vaccine clinic on Thursday at its Liberty campus. Children’s told WLWT that both clinics are full with hundreds of children signed up and cannot take any more appointments. More clinics are set to take place on July 6 at its Burnet Avenue location and on July 7 at its Liberty campus.
Sign-ups for the clinics are required. Walk-ins are not welcome. You can sign up here.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center is continuing to offer Pfizer vaccines to its patients. Already, it has administered approximately 40,000 shots since 2020. For younger children, there is three-dose series with a small dose size as compared to adults or older kids. The first two shots are administered three weeks apart and the third dose is administered eight weeks after the second shot.
WLWT spoke with Children’s Hospital Chief of Staff Dr. Patty Manning-Courtney who had this word of caution for families who may be skeptical about getting their children vaccinated.
“Don’t assume that your child shouldn’t get vaccinated,” Manning-Courtney said. “Don’t just assume that your child is not at risk from COVID. Don’t assume that children don’t get COVID or don’t get very sick and COVID. I’ve said this many times in these forums. And here at Cincinnati Children’s, we’ve had close to 1,000 children hospitalized since the beginning of the pandemic with COVID. Some with very serious complications which would be avoidable with vaccination and protection.”
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center told WLWT it plans to host these public clinics by placing patients, meaning younger kids, in private clinic rooms rather than one open space to provide greater privacy and aid if younger kids need to be held in order to receive their vaccines.
Patty Manning-Courtney told WLWT that the hospital believes the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective for younger children in protection against serious infection from the virus and its variants.
Still, Manning-Courtney recommends people talk with their own pediatrician first to determine the best plan of action to keep their kids safe.
“We appreciate how seriously families take the decision to vaccinate their children and how much concern there has been around safety on both sides of this equation,” Manning-Courtney said. “I can’t think of a pediatrician who hasn’t vaccinated their child in every age group. We are the first to line up and do this. And if you have a good trusting relationship with your pediatrician, then I think and you asked that question, ‘What would you do with your child?’ We all say we would vaccinate.”
If someone doesn’t want to attend or wait for an open clinic appointment, Manning-Courtney recommends people contact their own pediatrician or local pharmacy to try and sign their children up for a vaccine.
