New COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5 plentiful in the state

By: Annmarie Timmins - June 22, 2022 3:14 pm

More than 200 providers and 13 pharmacies and community health providers in the state are offering COVID-19 vaccines to children under 5. (Screenshot)

More than 200 providers in the state are offering the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine for children ages six months to under 5, according to Health and Human Services. The department has published a map of pharmacies and community health providers also administering the vaccines.

The Moderna vaccine for this age group is given in two doses unless the child is moderately or severely immunocompromised and eligible for a third dose. The Pfizer version is a three-dose series for all recipients.

The department said in a release that a booster will likely be required in the future.

Close to 10,000 of the 22,700 vaccine doses the state ordered have arrived, the department said. Parents and caregivers are urged to check with their child’s pediatrician before going to one of the 13 pharmacies and community health centers.

“We are excited for this new recommendation that now allows parents and caregivers to protect their young children from COVID-19 and potential health complications,” said state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan in a media release. “These vaccines are safe and effective, and we recommend that everybody 6 months of age and older get vaccinated.”

For more information about locations offering vaccines, visit vaccines.nh.gov.

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Annmarie Timmins

Senior reporter Annmarie Timmins is a New Hampshire native who covered state government, courts, and social justice issues for the Concord Monitor for 25 years. During her time with the Monitor, she won a Nieman Fellowship to study journalism and mental health courts at Harvard for a year. She has taught journalism at the University of New Hampshire and writing at the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications. Email: [email protected]