As soon as U.S. public health authorities approved a common Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 on Nov. 2, local school officials and healthcare providers began scheduling clinics in Santa Clara County.
At two of those clinics in South County this past weekend, volunteers and providers administered more than 1,600 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, mostly to children.
A Nov. 7 clinic in Gilroy, organized by the Santa Clara County Office of Education, served about 1,000 Pfizer doses into the arms of the youngest eligible patients and some adults who needed boosters.
County Board of Education President Claudia Rossi called the clinic a “family affair,” with full households waiting in line to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations or boosters together. The clinic took place at the county education office’s South County Annex on Wren Avenue.
Rossi said the county office has a goal of vaccinating 75% of the county’s 5- to 11-year-old children by Jan. 1.
“Events like this that are offered at times that are convenient for working parents will get us there,” she said.
On Saturday, Nov. 6, a vaccination clinic geared toward children in Morgan Hill administered 637 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, said Morgan Hill Pro Tem John McKay. That clinic was at El Toro Health Science Academy on East Main Avenue. The event was organized by Safeway, with volunteers from the local Rotary Club and Morgan Hill Community Emergency Response Team helping register patients and move them through the line.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 2 approved the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-11. The vaccine is a two-dose series, with the second shot administered three weeks after the first.
Vaccination locations and appointments can be found at sccfreevax.org.
