Baker admin approves COVID-19 vaccines for young kids after CDC OK

Parents of very young children received some good news from the Baker administration Sunday, when the state announced COVID-19 vaccines would become available Tuesday.

“We know parents and families have been waiting for this, and we are pleased to have this last age group approved for the COVID-19 vaccine,” Dr. Estevan Garcia, chief medical officer at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said.

The announcement by Gov. Charlie Baker’s team comes following the federal government’s Saturday release of its recommendation that children from 6 months to 4 years old should receive either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccination for protection from severe outcomes associated with a COVID-19 infection.

“Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against COVID-19. We know millions of parents and caregivers are eager to get their young children vaccinated, and with today’s decision, they can,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Saturday.

Parents can begin making appointments for the shots — three of the Pfizer or two of the Moderna — as soon as Tuesday, the Baker administration said. In the coming weeks they expect there will be upwards of 400 locations offering pediatric doses.

“Children 6 months and older may receive a vaccination at locations such as their pediatricians’ offices, community health centers, state-supported vaccination sites, mobile clinics and some pharmacy settings depending on the pharmacy and the child’s age,” the administration said.

According to Garcia, the vaccine is not only effective at preventing severe illness and death from COVID-19, but it has also been shown to be very safe.

“The vaccine for this age group has been rigorously tested and we encourage parents to add this vaccine to the list of critical vaccinations their children should receive. We urge parents to reach out to their child’s health care provider with any questions they may have,” Garcia said.

This advice was echoed by the CDC.

“I encourage parents and caregivers with questions to talk to their doctor, nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the benefits of vaccinations and the importance of protecting their children by getting them vaccinated,” Walensky said.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic there have been over half a billion cases of infection and over 6 million deaths. Massachusetts saw an early surge in infections following a conference in Boston during the beginning of the pandemic but has fared better than most states when it comes to vaccination rates and severe infections and death.

Despite this, the commonwealth has lost more than 20,000 people to the virus.