Mayor Bowser and DC Health Encourage Families to Get Children 5-11 Years Old Vaccinated Against COVID-19

(Washington, DC) – Today, following approval from the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Health, led by Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, announced that families will be able to begin getting children who are 5-11 years old vaccinated against COVID-19 beginning Wednesday, November 3. The arrival of a safe and effective vaccine for children is a monumental moment in the fight against COVID-19. In the coming days and weeks, every family who wants to have their child vaccinated will be able to conveniently access a free and safe vaccine.

As of this evening, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the CDC have approved the Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11 years old for Emergency Use Authorization. The vaccine is safe and lowers the chance of children getting and spreading COVID-19. The vaccine is 90% effective at preventing symptoms of COVID-19. Children 5-11 years old will receive a smaller dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine than adolescents and adults, approximately one-third the dose that people 12 and older get. Like the vaccine for people and 12 and older, children 5-11 will need to receive two doses of the vaccine taken three weeks apart.

In the coming days and weeks, the vaccine will be available at more than 60 pharmacies, hospitals, and health centers across all eight wards. Listed below are sites, by ward, that are expected to begin vaccinating children this week. While some sites will be able to begin vaccinating children on Wednesday, November 3, many sites will begin vaccinating children later this week. As the District learns which sites have received their vaccine doses started vaccinations, that information will be updated on coronavirus.dc.gov. Additionally, vaccines.gov will get updated with which sites have the pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

Beginning this weekend, the District will host pop-up vaccination clinics for children 5-11 years old at schools and other sites. These sites will not require appointments and more information about specific sites and hours for pop-up clinics this weekend will be released in the coming days.

Parents are encouraged to protect their families from COVID-19 by vaccinating their children and themselves as soon as possible. Vaccinating children will help protect them from getting COVID-19 and therefore reducing their risk of severe disease, hospitalizations, or developing long-term COVID-19 complications. Getting your children vaccinated can help protect them against COVID-19 as well as reduce disruptions to in-person learning and activities by helping curb community transmission. Especially as many families consider their holiday plans in the coming weeks, vaccination is an important way to protect children, older and medically vulnerable family members, and members of the community.

Below are sites that will receive initial doses of the pediatric Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Because many sites will not be able to begin vaccinating children until later this week, families are encouraged to check providers’ websites and coronavirus.dc.gov for more information about which sites have received their doses and started vaccinating children.