City to Begin Offering COVID-19 Boosters for Children Ages 5 to 11

PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - Beginning Monday, May 23, the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (Health Department) will begin offering booster doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

"This is a huge milestone in our effort to keep our children and our community safe," said Mayor Robert Garcia. "We have vaccine clinics open six days a week to ensure every resident can get vaccinated, boosted, and protected from COVID-19."

Previously, Pfizer boosters were only offered to those ages 12 and older. The booster that will be given to children ages 5 to 11 will be the same lower dose of Pfizer vaccine that was received in their primary series. Children will be eligible for their booster five months after the completion of their primary series of Pfizer vaccine. In Long Beach, 5,002 children ages 5 to 11 have completed the Pfizer two-dose series and will be eligible by Monday, May 23. All minors need parental consent in order to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The consent form is available online.

Boosters will be available on a walk-up basis starting May 23, and appointments for those ages 5 to 11 will be available on MyTurn starting Wednesday, May 25. The following City-run vaccination sites all will carry the booster:

• Long Beach City College, Pacific Coast Campus (Parking Lot 1, Corner of Orange Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway)
  • Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.
  • Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• El Dorado Park West (2800 N. Studebaker Rd.)
  • Wednesdays in June and July, 3 to 6 p.m.
• Cabrillo High School (2100-2198 Monitor Ave.)
  • Fridays, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
  • Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Ramona Park (3301 E. 65th St.)
  • Mondays through Wednesdays, 1 to 5 p.m.
  • Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

All vaccination sites will be closed on Monday, May 30, in observance of Memorial Day.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on May 17, authorizing the use of a single booster dose for this age group. This was followed by approvals from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on May 19 and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup on May 20.

The City of Long Beach has seen a significant rise in cases. On May 20, the City reported 329 new COVID-19 cases, compared to 18 new cases reported on April 20.

The Health Department continues to urge everyone to get vaccinated and boosted when eligible. Vaccines are safe and effective in preventing COVID-19 infection and especially effective at preventing hospitalization, serious illness or death among breakthrough cases of the virus. To view the most up-to-date vaccine clinic schedule and to schedule an appointment, visit longbeach.gov/vaxLB or call 562.570.4636.

For the latest information on COVID-19, with details on all that the City of Long Beach is doing to keep our residents safe, visit longbeach.gov/COVID19 and follow @LongBeachCity and @LBHealthDept on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. People may also visit longbeach.gov/COVID19data for up-to-date information regarding cases and vaccines in Long Beach.

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