• By Todd Luck
• Posted Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Public Health offering COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5

The Forsyth County Department of Public Health is now accepting COVID-19 vaccination appointments for children younger than 5 years-old that will start on Wednesday afternoon.

COVID vaccines, which had previously been available for anyone age 5 and older, have now been approved by the FDA and CDC to be administered starting at 6 months old. The vaccine was shown to be safe and effective against severe illness in this age group.

Common temporary reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines in young children includes fever, tiredness, headache, chills, muscle or joint pain, swollen lymph node, and pain, swelling, and redness in the arm where the shot was given. For infants and toddlers, common side effects include pain where the shot was given, swollen lymph nodes, irritability or crying, sleepiness and loss of appetite.

Vaccinations are by appointments only, which can be scheduled at Bit.Ly/FCNCCovidVaccine. Appointments take place at the Health Department, 799 N. Highland Ave. Clinic hours for ages 5 and under vaccinations are Monday-Wednesday 12-5 p.m. and Thursday 12-8 p.m.

Children’s doses of the vaccine are smaller than an adult’s, but they will still require multiple doses. Forsyth Public Health currently only has the Moderna vaccine for this age group, which is a 2-dose series for children 6 months through 5 years-old. The Pfizer vaccine for young children, which is expected to come in soon, is a 3-dose series for children 6 months through 4 years-old.

Like all COVID vaccination appointments, education on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine will be provided, along with a chance to ask questions before it’s administered. Like adults, children need to stay least 15 minutes after the shot for observation. Appointments for additional doses will be scheduled onsite after the vaccination.