County offers covid vaccine for children ages 5-11

Wahkiakum Health and Human Services will offer Pfizer vaccine for 5-11 year olds starting Monday, November 8, 2021.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults, children, and adolescents age 5 and older get a COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is authorized for children and adolescents age 5 and up, as a 2-dose series taken 3 weeks apart. The dose for children age 5-11 is one-third of the dosage of the vaccine for older adolescents and adults.

Vaccination is the best way to protect children age 5 and older from COVID-19. COVID-19 has become one of the top 10 causes of pediatric death, and tens of thousands of children and teens have been hospitalized with COVID-19. While children and adolescents are typically at lower risk than adults of becoming severely ill or hospitalized from COVID-19, it is still possible.

The vaccine is safe and effective. Before being authorized for children, scientists and medical experts completed their review of safety and effectiveness data from clinical trials of thousands of children. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was rigorously tested and reviewed, and more than 11 million adolescents ages 12-17 have already received the COVID-19 vaccine.

WHHS is hosting COVID vaccine clinics twice a week. The clinic is open Monday and Wednesday from 9am to 12:30pm and 1:30pm to 3pm. The clinic is in the Health Department located in the lowest floor of the County building; no appointment is necessary. WHHS will also host an additional late afternoon clinic in the next few weeks, once the details have been solidified it will be announced publicly.

Vaccines are available to anyone 5 or older in Wahkiakum County. Getting vaccinated is the best possible protection from COVID-19. WHHS encourages everyone who hasn’t already been vaccinated to contact the Health Department or their personal medical provider and get scheduled to get a vaccine. The Health Department can be reached at 360-849-4041, M-F 8 to 4:30.

The current risk of COVID-19 in Washington is still high. If you think you were at risk of exposure to COVID-19, call ahead before you go to your

healthcare provider, urgent care, or the emergency department.

You can take steps to protect yourself and people around you from this and other diseases:

• Get the vaccine, when it is available to you

• Wear a cloth mask when going out in public.

• Stay at home and away from others as much as you can.

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.

• Avoid close contact with others.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands.

• Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces. It’s cold and flu season. These more known respiratory illnesses have affected our communities—especially the flu. The flu vaccine is your best protection against the flu.

Coronaviruses aren’t new. They form a large family of viral illnesses that includes the common cold. Experts have not previously identified the coronavirus in the current outbreak, COVID-19.

We continue to learn more about it.

The most common ways human coronaviruses spread:

• Coughing and sneezing.

• Contact with a sick person—within six feet—for 10 minutes or more.

• Contact with an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands.

Diseases don’t discriminate.

The Health Department is your source for reliable local public health information, go to Wahkiakumcovid19.com for more information. Make sure you seek out and share accurate information related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Diseases don’t discriminate or stop at city, county, or international borders. Remember to:

• Rely on and share trusted sources of information about the outbreak.

• Avoid comments that unfairly label, harass, or spread misinformation. Find updated information about the novel coronavirus at Wahkiakumcovid19.com.

*For more information about the vaccine please visit the CDC, DOH, and/or the Public Health Collaborative.