LA County to begin vaccinations for children ages 12 to 15 on Thursday

Los Angeles County announced Wednesday that COVID-19 vaccine eligibility will extend to include children ages 12 to 15, and eligible children may be able to get vaccinated as early as Thursday.

The decision comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 on Monday. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention further confirmed the recommendation by unanimous vote Wednesday.

The Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup, a COVID-19 advisory group for California and other Western states, will meet later Wednesday to issue a further recommendation.

Ahead of the work group’s decision, the LA County Department of Public Health said in its press release that all eight county-run vaccination sites will begin accepting walk-in vaccination appointments for children ages 12 and above Thursday if they are accompanied by an adult and show verification of age.

Appointments may be made online starting Wednesday evening.

On April 15, LA County expanded vaccine eligibility to include all individuals ages 16 or older.

The CDC documented more than 1.5 million COVID-19 cases in adolescents ages 11 to 17 in the U.S. from March through April.

In California, individuals under the age of 18 make up nearly 13% of confirmed COVID-19 cases as of May 11.

One-third of eighth-grade students in the U.S. are still learning entirely remotely. All schools in counties in the red, orange and yellow tiers, including LA County, are permitted to reopen if they implement the necessary health and safety measures.

Officials have recommended children receive the vaccine to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent cases of a rare but severe inflammatory condition in children associated with COVID-19.

Clinical trials reported the Pfizer vaccine was 100% effective at preventing COVID-19 in children ages 12 to 15, according to a March press release by the company.

Children above the age of 12 can also receive COVID-19 vaccines at the same time as other required childhood immunizations, said officials at the CDC meeting, without having to wait two weeks between as previously recommended.

Other counties in California are preparing to administer COVID-19 vaccines to adolescents with approval from the state’s public health department.

The Pfizer vaccine is the only COVID-19 vaccine approved for children ages 12 to 15 so far. Moderna began a study testing its vaccine in adolescents ages 12 to 17 in December and is also currently testing its vaccine in young children under age 12.

Moderna’s test results for older children are expected to be published before summer.