PIERRE, S.D. — The South Dakota Department of Health announced Wednesday that 30,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID vaccine have been distributed statewide to vaccine children.
The announcement comes shortly after the FDA gave emergency use authorization for the pediatric dose of Pfizer’s COVID vaccine in children ages five to 11.
“Protecting children against COVID-19 is a giant leap forward in the fight against this virus and a great way to protect those around them,”said Kim Malsam-Rysdon, Secretary of Health. “South Dakota parents should talk to their child’s pediatrician to get trusted personalized medical advice and do what is right for their families.”
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine authorized for children ages five to 11 is a two-dose series, three weeks apart – but is a lower dose than the shots given to those 12 and older.
The CDC issued its recommendation Tuesday night that children ages five to 11 be vaccinated with the Pfizer COVID vaccine.
“Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against the virus that causes COVID-19. We know millions of parents are eager to get their children vaccinated and with this decision, we now have recommended that about 28 million children receive a COVID-19 vaccine,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
The CDC saying in a press release that children who get COVID are at risk from long-term complications (“long COVID”), hospitalization, death, and MIS-C (inflammatory syndrome).
South Dakota has administered more than 900,000 shots as of Wednesday, November 3. 68% of South Dakotans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
For more information on vaccinations in South Dakota, click here.
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