COVID-19 boosters now available for children ages 5-11 at Hattiesburg Clinic

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - Hattiesburg Clinic is now offering Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 boosters for children ages 5 and older.

The clinic made the announcement Wednesday, in line with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As a recommendation from the CDC, children ages 5 to 11-years-old should receive a booster shot five months after their initial Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination series.

“With over 18 million doses administered in this age group, we know that these vaccines are safe, and we must continue to increase the number of children who are protected,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. “I encourage parents to keep their children up to date with CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. With cases increasing, it is important that all people have the protection they need, which is why the CDC has strengthened another booster recommendation.”

CDC also recommends children 5 and older who are immunocompromised should receive a COVID-19 booster dose at least three months after completing their three-dose primary series. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and vaccine booster is the only one that is authorized and recommended for children and adolescents ages 5-11.

“We know that the vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe disease, and recent data shows that the boosters help strengthen protection,” said Anita Henderson, M.D., pediatrician at Hattiesburg Clinic and president of the Mississippi Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics. “That’s why we’re encouraging parents to get their kids vaccinated, get them boosted to keep children safe.”

Contact your pediatrician’s office to schedule a vaccine appointment. The Pediatric Clinic patients may schedule an appointment by calling (601) 579-3000, and Children’s Clinic patients may schedule their appointment by calling (601) 261-3500.

Vaccine appointments for patients who have not received care from a Hattiesburg Clinic pediatrician, are available at HealthWorks Immunization Clinic and can be scheduled through Iris or by calling (601) 261-1620.

All children under the age of 18 are required to have a parent or guardian’s permission to get the vaccine.

For more information about the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster for kids ages 5-11, click here.

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