How valley teens could get vaccinated as soon as Thursday
On Wednesday an advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally adopted a recommendation for kids ages 12-15 to receive the Pfizer vaccine. The decision was made just 48 hours after the Food and Drug Administration expanded Pfizer's emergency use authorization, allowing the age group to be vaccinated.
"Right now we’re just waiting for the state guidance," Riverside County Department of Public Health spokesperson, Jose Arballo said.
Arballo and the county were standing by as of Wednesday afternoon to see whether the state would follow the latest CDC recommendation, which would clear the way for kids ages 12-15 to get vaccinated in the valley.
"We estimated it's about 149,000 people. With this group we hope parents are still involved. Those under 18 need to have a parent or legal guardian with them to verify age," said Arballo.
Arballo said they have supply available and believe expanding new clinics for the oncoming group will likely not be necessary.
"We’ve been preparing for sometime," said Desert Oasis Healthcare's Associate Vice President of Population Health Integration, Lindsey Valenzuela.
Desert Oasis Healthcare staff had already begun preparing for the potentially new window of those who could get vaccinated.
"First of all we want to make sure that we have educated the entire staff on things that might be pertinent to that population. Some questions that we’ve had are on the dose of the vaccine- is that different? There is no difference-the adult existent dose is the same thing we’ll be using for 12-15 year olds. The next piece are needle sizes. Do we have a variety of needle sizes to be able to get into the right area?" said Valenzuela.
Clinic staff are also waiting for the green light from the state to offer vaccines as soon as Thursday.
While some parents are onboard to get their kids vaccinated, others remain skeptical.
"I think that people have a lot of questions about the vaccine. Many people are okay with making the decision for themselves but when it comes to their child, maybe they’re a little bit more hesitant. I would say reach out to your physician, reach out to your trusted clinical person," said Valenzuela.
"Interested parents/patients should be directed to our www.mydohc.com website to schedule or the myturn.ca.gov site," according to DOHC. The MyTurn website can also be used for different clinic appointments.
