Now that the COVID-19 vaccination process is open to all adults above the age of 18, there is increasing talk about getting children and teenagers vaccinated.
Major pharmaceutical companies announced tests on teenagers over the past few weeks. Flint Hills Community Health Center CEO Renee Hively says it was a prudent step to wait until the adult vaccination process was fully underway.
Pfizer and Moderna have been testing vaccines in kids ages 12-17 for several weeks, and both recently started testing vaccine efficiency in children as young as six months. Pfizer just announced early Wednesday that its vaccine is effective for children as young as 12, and it’s asking federal authorities to adjust accordingly. Johnson & Johnson is starting its process soon.
Vaccines for children may not be available until September.
Hively says close to 12,000 Lyon County adults have been vaccinated, or just over a third of the estimated population of 33,400. As many as 1,000 residents will get primary doses Friday through clinics at the Fairgrounds Anderson Building organized by the Health Center and at Newman Regional Health’s conference center organized by the hospital. The clinic at the Anderson Building will also feature revaccination doses as well.
People wanting to attend the clinic at the Anderson Building can schedule online at www.publichealth.lyoncounty.org. People wanting to attend the hospital clinic can go online to www.newmanrh.org/my-health-records.
