NCPHD, others, Offer Pediatric COVID Vaccines
North Central Public Health District (NCPHD) this week began offering the Moderna vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years. It is a two-dose series, given four weeks apart. The health district offers COVID vaccines Wednesdays and Fridays.
To make an appointment, please call 541-506-2600.
The health district is the only local provider with the two-dose Moderna series. For the three-dose Pfizer series, which is available to children ages six months to four years, parents can receive it at one of the following places:
One Community Health in The Dalles 541-296-4610
One Community Health in Hood River 541-386-6380
MCMC Pediatrics (established patients only) 541-506-6520
MCMC Family Medicine (established patients only) 541-296-9151
Walgreen's in The Dalles. Appointments are made on the Walgreen's website: https://www.walgreens.com/pharmacy/schedule-appointment.jsp#/location (Please note that pharmacies will only vaccinate children 3 years and older.)
The Moderna dose is one-fourth of the strength of the adult dose. The health department decided to use the Moderna vaccine mainly to give parents in the community a choice of vaccines, since other entities offer the Pfizer vaccine.
Martha McInnes, RN, Clinical Programs Supervisor at NCPHD, said in clinical trials, both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines produced an immune response similar to young adults, and there were no safety concerns. “The research done shows vaccines will work at keeping kids out of the hospital and from dying,” she said
For more information, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s statement about the pediatric vaccines here: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-moderna-and-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccines-children
And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s statement here:
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/s0618-children-vaccine.html
(For more information, please visit COVID-19 Vaccine in Oregon, contact North Central Public Health District at (541) 506-2600, visit us on the web at www.ncphd.org or find us on Facebook.)