Jacksonville’s four city-run vaccination sites don’t have COVID vaccines for kids under 12 yet, but some local grocery stores and pharmacies will start vaccinating young kids this weekend.
Walgreens announced earlier this week it will be offering Pfizer’s COVID vaccine to kids aged 5 to 11 starting Saturday, Nov. 6. CVS said it plans to start distribution on Sunday. Both pharmacy chains are currently accepting appointments online for children’s COVID vaccines.
Southeastern Grocers said Thursday it will begin vaccinating kids with the Pfizer COVID vaccine at some Harveys and Winn-Dixie stores this Saturday, but the grocery store chain has not listed yet which stores will have the kids' dose available. The scheduling platform will be updated soon. Winn-Dixie is also offering $10 gift cards to anyone who gets a COVID or flu vaccine (up to $20 for both).
And Walmart and Sam’s Club announced Wednesday that vaccines for kids would be available “later this week,” but have not started scheduling appointments.
Internal medicine specialist at UF Health in Jacksonville, Carmen Isache said she’s strongly recommending the pediatric vaccine. The CDC endorsed the COVID vaccine for kids aged 5 -11 earlier this week.
“The pediatric vaccine is given at a lower dose compared to the adult vaccine, so it's only about a third of the adult dose of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine,” Isache said. “This was done, of course, in order to minimize side effects.”
UF Health does not currently have access to the pediatric vaccine, according to a spokesperson. Neither the Florida Department of Health in Duval County nor the city of Jacksonville have pediatric vaccines available either.
“We are expecting a shipment of vaccines for this demographic and will have more details very soon,” the Duval County Health Department spokeswoman Samantha Epstein said in an email Thursday.
The city of Jacksonville is also offering booster shots at four of its COVID vaccine and testing sites for adults who received full schedules of the vaccine two-to-six months ago, depending on the type of vaccine.
