Chicago Children's Hospitals Plan Clinics To Vaccinate Kids 12-15

CHICAGO — Doctors from Advocate Aurora Health, NorthShore University HealthSystem and Comer Children's Hospital said they will begin vaccinating children ages 12-15 at their vaccination clinics as soon as Thursday.

All three Chicago-area health systems have been vaccinating people ages 16-18 for the past few weeks but are putting in orders for more vaccine supply in light of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's emergency use approval of the Pfizer vaccine for children 12 and up.

Children do not need to be patients at any Chicagoland Children's Health Alliance locations, but do need to have a parent or guardian with them at the appointment.

Dr. Allison Bartlett, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Comer Children's Hospital said during a news conference on Tuesday that it could be a while before vaccines are available at smaller pediatric offices, mainly because Pfizer vaccines have to be kept at specific cold temperatures.

For now, the quickest way to get a pre-teen or teenager vaccinated in Illinois is to attend a clinic at a larger hospital, though vaccines for younger children are on the horizon.

Both Pfizer and Moderna announced they have begun studies in American children ages 6 months to 11 years. More research is still needed to see if young kids would benefit from different dosages than teenagers and adults.

Outside of the United States, AstraZeneca is studying side effects of the vaccine among 6-to 17-year-olds, and Sinovac recently submitted preliminary data to Chinese health organizations showing their vaccine is safe for children older than 3.

While children are far less likely to get sick or die from COVID-19, they can still spread the disease and suffer long-term effects if they contract the virus. About 296 children have died from COVID-19 in the U.S., and over 15,000 have been hospitalized, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In addition to Comer Children's, NorthShore is also working with local school districts to vaccinate students. Representatives from NorthShore said they expect to hold a vaccine clinic for adolescents and teens at Evanston Township High School in the next few weeks.

"Every day that you go without the vaccine, there's a chance of exposure," said Dr. Frank Belmonte, chief medical officer at Advocate Children's Hospital. "Your chances of having an adverse side effect from actually getting the virus ... is higher than any risk that you have from getting the vaccine."