The Tennessee Department of Health announced Wednesday that it has approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12-15 and local health departments may begin vaccinations on Friday. Hamilton County Health Department officials said Tuesday they were working on plans for vaccinating the age group, but no additional details were immediately available.
Schools in the Chattanooga area began holding vaccination events for students aged 16 and older earlier this year, and such events will likely continue for the new age group after the updates to national and state guidelines on expanded eligibility.
The Get Vaccinated Chattanooga campaign encourages vaccinations for vulnerable populations in the community, including children. In an April interview with the Times Free Press, Hamilton County Schools COVID-19 fellow Ryan Ledford said that work on the pediatric K-12 subgroup intersects with other populations and that campaign messaging provides information about what vaccines look like for children.
“We’re going to get messaging out to families about ‘Hey, there’s a Pfizer 16-plus right now, and then Moderna and Pfizer are working on getting a 12-15 vaccine’ and just kind of providing information about what it looks like for pediatric dose, what are the steps, what they can expect moving forward, and just planting that initial seed of like, ‘It’s a good idea to get vaccinated and here’s all the information [so] you can make that decision for your students or your child,'” Ledford said.
Hamilton County Schools held its first vaccination event for students May 5 at Brainerd High School. The district partnered with Thrifty MedPlus Pharmacy to administer 56 vaccines to 32 students and their family members, said district communications officer Cody Patterson.