Marin County has drawn up a plan to start vaccinating children on Oct. 30 if the Food and Drug Administration approves the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11.
“We’re getting ready, but until everything is approved,” Mary Jane Burke, superintendent of schools in Marin County, said Wednesday. “Tomorrow we will not vaccinate children. The bottom line is that one of the hallmarks of the success we have had in Marin is the leadership of our public health department and they are thinking ahead, so we should be prepared …. We anticipate what it will take for us to be prepared and not have to wait until we get the information and then get ready. “
Burke said there are several parts to the contingency plan that are being coordinated with the Marin County public health department.
“Our internal goal is for 75% of eligible children to receive the first dose within one month after the vaccine is authorized for this purpose,” Laine Hendricks, a spokeswoman for the department, wrote in an email. .
The county is preparing to hold some one-day school clinics and large-scale events to help facilitate this group’s vaccinations.
Burke said there are three consecutive weekends tentatively scheduled for vaccination events: Oct. 30 and 31, Nov. 6 and 7, and Nov. 13 and 14.
“We know that many parents will want to seek advice from their pediatrician or GP, so we are also working to improve the ability of GPs to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to their offices,” Hendricks said. “We are contacting and meeting with pediatric practices to examine vaccine administration, refrigeration / storage, etc. In this regard, Marin County public health would be a complement to what pediatricians offer.
Before the vaccine is distributed, the county is preparing to create opportunities for families to talk to doctors and ask questions about the vaccine. A meeting for families with public health doctors is scheduled for mid-October in both Spanish and English.
“It’s great if you anticipate what you have to do,” Burke said.
The county posted a video explaining its contingency plan on YouTube.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said Tuesday that data on the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 will arrive soon and could be sent to the FDA in late September, CNBC reported. .
“Then it’s up to the FDA to take its time and then make a decision,” Bourla said during an interview at the 2021 National Health Research Research Forum.