LAWRENCE – Anyone 12 to 15 years old can now make COVID-19 vaccination appointments that will start Thursday, May 13, at the vaccination site at LMH Health, after federal public health officials Wednesday afternoon authorized expanding the Pfizer vaccine to that age group. Previously, Pfizer was available or anyone 16 or older.
“It is exciting that the FDA’s analysis of trial data for those 12-15 showed the vaccine was 100% effective in preventing COVID-19,” said Charlie Bryan, chair of the Vaccination Planning Unit under Douglas County’s Unified Command pandemic response. “As each of the remaining phases open up, it will continue to add to the amount of people in our community who are fully vaccinated. This is a very positive development for protecting our community, particularly in lessening the transmission routes that exist for the virus and protecting more and more people from the risk of serious illness or death.”
LDCPH beginning Thursday will expand hours of the LMH Health Drive Thru Vaccination Center to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays for the foreseeable future. Parents or guardians are asked to schedule an appointment for their child, so as not to overwhelm the current resources in place.
Visit LDCHealth.org/COVIDVaccine or douglascountyks.org/coronavirus to find a code to register for a vaccine appointment. The consent form for parents and guardians is also available at LDCHealth.org/COVIDVaccine. Parents or guardians can also accompany a child to the appointment to provide consent, or vaccination staff will call parents to obtain consent over the phone.
In addition to the clinics at the LMH Health site, parents and guardians can check with their providers or area pharmacies offering the Pfizer vaccine to see about scheduling an appointment for their 12- to 15-year-old children. This includes Sigler Pharmacy, Orchards Drug Pharmacy, Jayhawk Pharmacy West, Lawrence Family Practice Center and LMH Health providers.
A list of area pharmacies providing the vaccine is available at douglascountyks.org/coronavirus and LDCHealth.org/Coronavirus.