Montgomery County has begun accepting appointments to vaccinate children ages 6 months to 5 years old against COVID-19 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved vaccines for the age group last week.
The county began vaccinating children in the age group on Wednesday, according to Mary Anderson, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services.
The FDA amended the emergency use authorization of the Moderna vaccine to include individuals 6 months through 17 years of age. Previously, the vaccine had been authorized for adults 18 years of age and older, according to a press release.
For the Pfizer vaccine, the FDA amended the emergency use authorization to include individuals ages 6 months to 4 years old. The vaccine was previously approved for individuals above the age of 5.
Here are some answers to common questions:
How can parents schedule an appointment?
Appointments are available here. The county will continue to add appointments on its website at 3 p.m. on days when supply is available, according to Anderson.
Parents can also check with their pediatrician for vaccine availability.
Families can search for vaccine availability on vaccines.gov, according to Sean O’Donnell, the public health emergency manager for the county’s Department of Health and Human Services.
How many vaccines are available?
County officials order about 4,000 doses each week, but do not expect to always receive that many due to demand, Anderson said.
The county received a total of 3,600 doses as of Thursday, Anderson said. Moderna vaccines were delivered Monday and the Pfizer doses came Wednesday. The health department does not know when the next shipment will arrive, she said.
The county administered 267 doses at clinics Wednesday, according to Anderson. There will be 1,800 doses set aside for three locations throughout the weekend.
Where will the vaccine be administered?
The health department aims to administer vaccines at clinics throughout the county during the week. These locations include:
• Dennis Avenue Health Center in Silver Spring
• White Oak Recreation Center in Silver Spring
• Montgomery College in Germantown.
Over the weekend, the health department aims to administer vaccines at schools. These locations include:
• Clarksburg High School in Clarksburg
• Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville
• Shady Grove Middle School in Gaithersburg.
Christine Zhu of Gaithersburg, a rising junior at the University of Maryland who is studying journalism and Spanish, is the Bethesda Beat summer intern.