Riverside County Opens COVID Vaccination To Kids 12 And Older

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County health officials announced Thursday that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is now available to children 12 and older.

On Monday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the emergency use authorization for kids 12 through 15 years of age, and Riverside County was awaiting a green light from federal and state officials to begin the rollout.

According to the county, the expanded vaccine eligibility impacts more than 140,000 Riverside County youngsters.

“This expansion to those as young as 12 opens up another segment of the community and brings up closer to the goal of herd immunity,” said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, public health officer for Riverside County. “It is more critical than ever to make sure parents and guardians have confidence in vaccines because they are the ones deciding whether their children will get vaccinated.”

Anyone under 18 will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to get vaccinated. The Pfizer dosing regimen is the same for all ages: a series of two shots, three weeks apart.

The Moderna and the Johnson and Johnson vaccine are available to those 18 years and older.

"Parents and guardians can rest assured that the agency undertook a rigorous and thorough review of all available data, as we have with all of our COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorizations," Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., said in a released statement Monday.

As part of the recommended expanded use of the Pfizer vaccine, the FDA issued a fact sheet about vaccination in kids 12 and older. Read it here.

From March 1, 2020, through April 30, 2021, approximately 1.5 million COVID-19 cases in individuals 11 to 17 years of age have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the FDA.

Children and adolescents generally have a milder COVID-19 disease course as compared to adults, the FDA reported.

More than 1.8 million vaccinations — both first and second doses — have been administered in Riverside County through county-run clinics and those operated by about 200 community providers.

To make a vaccination appointment in Riverside County, click www.rivcoph.org/covid-19-vaccine. Those needing assistance to make an appointment can call 2-1-1 or 951-358-5000.