PORTLAND — Health officials in Oregon say they are expecting 180,000 initial doses of the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, which is enough to cover nearly 53 percent of the state’s roughly 342,000 children ages 5 to 11.
However, the Oregon Health Authority cautioned parents that they might have to wait a few days before they find an open appointment.
“As with the introduction of any new eligible group for vaccination, we expect our health care system will not be able to accommodate all children who’d like to get vaccinated in the first few days that they become eligible,” said Kristen Dillon, senior adviser for Oregon’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Unit.
About two-thirds of the pediatric doses coming to Oregon are being shipped directly to health care settings like pediatricians’ offices. The other third is going to pharmacies.
Dillon said many providers and local public health authorities are planning to provide special services — such as drive-through vaccination sites and community events. Officials expect those mass events to open in the coming weeks.
“The speed of the authorization, and the fact that vaccine is arriving in the state still, means that I think many sites are still getting organized and not wanting to make commitments until they make sure they have their supplies in hand,” Dillon said.
Officials at Portland Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, have already announced that they will hold pediatric vaccine clinics at eight district schools in the coming weeks.
On Wednesday, some pharmacies and health care providers began releasing appointment times at select locations. But many of the slots were quickly scooped up.
“There’s significantly more vaccine available for the 5-to-11 population than there was for the adult population earlier this year,” Dillon said. “We don’t expect to experience the same degree of scarcity.”
Kid-sized doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine cleared two final hurdles Tuesday: a recommendation from CDC advisers, followed by a green light from Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The decision marks the first opportunity for Americans under 12 to get the powerful protection of any COVID-19 vaccine.
Following the announcement, Gov. Kate Brown encouraged parents to have their children vaccinated against the deadly virus.
“Vaccination is the best tool we have to protect ourselves and our loved ones,” said Brown, a Democrat.
Currently, Oregonians who are 18 and younger account for nearly 15 percent of the state’s COVID-19 cases.
Officials also urged parents who have questions about the vaccine to reach out to their family doctor, health care provider or pharmacist.
