COVID-19 Shots Available For MD Kids Under 5: How To Get Them

MARYLAND — Starting Tuesday, parents of the youngest age group to be allowed to be vaccinated against COVID-19 can start booking appointments to vaccinate their Maryland children, state health officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for kids as young as 6 months. Those vaccines are now available in Maryland starting Tuesday, the Maryland Department of Health said in a news release.

The state said there are 358,000 Maryland children in this new eligible age group, and providers have been instructed to make vaccines available immediately. There is a section on the state's vaccine finder to locate clinics and pharmacies that can provide vaccines to kids as young as 6 months.

Find a COVID-19 vaccine appointment on the state's vaccination website.

The Food and Drug Administration recently posted data that showed Pfizer and Moderna shots for young kids are safe and effective.

The Moderna vaccine would be for children six months through 5 years, while Pfizer's vaccine can be given to kids ages 6 months through 4 years old. The Pfizer vaccine consists of three pediatric doses, and the Moderna vaccine consists of two pediatric doses.

“We welcome having COVID-19 vaccines to help protect our youngest Marylanders against severe illness, hospitalization, or even death from this virus and strongly encourage parents to vaccinate their children,” said Maryland Department of Health Secretary Dennis R. Schrader in a news release. “We have been preparing to receive these COVID-19 vaccines and, utilizing our vast network of pediatricians, family practitioners, federally qualified health centers, pharmacies, and local health departments, will begin distributing them equitably across the state right away.”

On Monday, the state health department issued a bulletin directing vaccine providers to immediately make the COVID-19 vaccines available to Marylanders 6 months and older.

Maryland currently has an overall COVID-19 positivity rate of 7.87 percent, according to the state's dashboard.

“The long-awaited next opportunity to protect Maryland’s youngest children against COVID-19 is here,” said MDH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Jinlene Chan in a news release. “If families have any questions, I urge them to discuss the benefits of vaccinating their children against COVID-19 with their child’s health care provider. I also encourage them to vaccinate and boost all of their eligible family members as soon as possible.”

About 106,220 cases in kids under 9 have been confirmed in Maryland throughout the pandemic, and six have died from COVID-19, according to state data. There are 11 kids hospitalized in Maryland due to COVID-19, according to the data. Maryland currently has an overall positivity rate of 8.01 percent.

Nearly 93 percent of Marylanders over age 5 have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment online at covidvax.maryland.gov or call the GoVAX Call Center at 1-855-MD-GOVAX.