The Forsyth County Department of Public Health is now offering the Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot for children ages 5 to 11.
The shots are being given at 799 N. Highland Ave. Clinic hours are Mondays through Wednesdays from noon to 5 p.m., Thursdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services approved Friday the Pfizer booster shot for that age group.
The Pfizer booster is the only brand available for ages 5 to 11.
Children in that age range are eligible for the booster five months after the date of their most recent Pfizer vaccine dose.
The state approval comes a day after the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the booster following Food and Drug Administration authorization.
The department also has available a Pfizer booster shot for anyone over age 5 if it’s been five months since the completion of their primary series of the Pfizer vaccine.
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Anyone 18 and over can receive a booster if it’s been five months since their Moderna primary series and two months since their single shot of Johnson and Johnson.
An additional booster dose is available for certain immunocompromised individuals and people over age 50 who received an initial booster dose at least four months ago.
To schedule an appointment, go to Bit.Ly/FCNCCovidVaccine.
Booster shots are available anywhere COVID-19 vaccines are available and are free, regardless of insurance or immigration status.
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist began scheduling Monday booster appointments for the 5-11 age group on Monday through (336) 70-COVID and myWakeHealth. Vaccine-seekers can also go to www.wakehealth.edu and click on “Vaccine Locations.”
It is likely Cone Health and Novant Health Inc. also will begin providing the booster shot through their pediatric and family practices.
For more information about where to find a vaccine or booster appointment nearby, go to MySpot.nc.gov.
DHHS has warned that long-term COVID-19 symptoms can include multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, or MIS-C, which can cause inflammation in different parts of the body, as well as coughing, body aches, shortness of breath, headaches, brain fog, difficulty sleeping and more.
It also may cause lasting damage to the heart, kidneys or other organs.
“Children are vulnerable to the virus and long-term complications just like everyone else,” Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, state health director and chief medical officer, said Friday.
“Cases that start with mild symptoms can progress quickly, and even mild cases can have symptoms that last for several weeks or months.”
During the recent surge in cases, those who were boosted were seven times less likely to be hospitalized and 21 times less likely to die from COVID-19 compared to those who were unvaccinated.
