The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations, released this week, are to start vaccinating the 5 to 11 year old population with a smaller dose of the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine.
Chaffee County Public Health is offering county families several opportunities to protect their children as we near the holiday season.
Mass vaccination clinics for this newly eligible group will be by appointment only, and the links for the events will go live by this Friday afternoon, November 5th, at chaffeecounty.rsvpify.com. Families are asked to come at their assigned time to mitigate congestion. The vaccine is free, and it is highly encouraged to fill out the paperwork ahead of time. These clinics are intended and prioritized for Chaffee County residents ages 5 to 11.
Clinic dates and locations hosted by CCPH will be at Longfellow Elementary School in Salida. We will also take individuals 12 and older getting their 1st, 2nd, or booster dose of Pfizer (Instructions will be found on the RSVPify website).
- 1st dose: Friday, November 12th from 9am-noon
- 2nd dose: Friday, December 3rd from 9am-noon
Clinics in Buena Vista will be hosted at the former Colorado Mountain College Campus, Current BOCES Building, at 27900 County Road 319 in Buena Vista.
- 1st dose: Monday, November 15th from 3pm-6pm
- 2nd dose: Monday, December 6th from 3pm-6pm
Helpful Information:
- If your younger child needs their shot in the leg, please come in shorts or pants that can be pulled up so that kids do not need to undress. If your child is getting a shot in their arm, please wear clothing that allows easy access to the upper arm (deltoid muscle).
- If your child is uncomfortable getting a shot in a setting like this (large gym or room with vaccine stations, seeing other children get shots), your primary care physician should also have Pfizer vaccine for this age group. CCPH and other local providers offer individual appointments. Additional opportunities should be readily available.
- Activities will be provided during the 15 minute observation period post-vaccination.
- Any child under 18 must have a parent/guardian with them OR a parent/guardian’s signature on their paperwork. Masks are required for everyone. Be prepared to spend at least 30 minutes at the clinic.
- If a family is unable to make it to one of the 2nd dose clinics, they are encouraged to contact CCPH to make an individual appointment or seek out a 2nd dose from another provider. However, arranging schedules to attend one of the mass vaccination 2nd dose clinics is preferred.
- These clinics are not drive through but rather walk through and indoors.
Andrea Carlstrom, Director of CCPH, says, “The moment that many families in our county have been eagerly anticipating is here- our younger children five and older are all eligible to be vaccinated. This is one more step toward moving on from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and provides families with the best layer of protection as we near the holiday season and what will certainly be a more hopeful and promising new year in 2022. The Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective, preventing serious illness and hospitalizations. Vaccinated children will no longer be met with the uncertainties of quarantine requirements, and therefore, vaccinated families will experience fewer, if any, disruptions due to COVID-19.”
