Now that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 has been approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many parents across the country are scrambling to find out how and where they can get their child vaccinated against the deadly virus.
In western Washington, parents will eventually have quite a few options, but in many cases will be competing with other vaccine and booster shot seekers due to the availability of appointments and doses.
For all of Washington state, the Department of Health (DOH) put in an initial order for 230,000 pediatric doses, which represents about 30% of the state’s population ages 5-11. Additionally, private pharmacies and other providers were expected to receive roughly 80,000 doses following the CDC’s approval.
Below is a list of places and resources for parents and guardians looking to get their children vaccinated.
Where to get the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine
Currently, there are a number of places throughout western Washington that have said they will have the COVID-19 pediatric vaccine available, but because of staffing shortages in some places and the general lack of doses, scheduling an appointment could take some time.
For the entire state of Washington, use the DOH’s vaccine locator tool and filter for Pfizer's pediatric vaccine to find providers who offer that shot.
As of Friday afternoon, there are 10 locations listed with the pediatric vaccine available throughout the Puget Sound region.
KING COUNTY
Despite activating plans to get equitable access to children ages 5-11, King County also doesn’t yet have sites listed with the pediatric vaccines but says that it is partnering with school clinics, pediatrician offices and retail pharmacies to make the vaccine as available as possible.
For Seattle families, the city will begin administering doses to 5-11-year-olds this weekend at vaccination clinics located at the Amazon clinic in downtown Seattle and in West Seattle vaccine clinic. Those looking to make an appointment at one of these sites can visit the city's scheduling website.
Seattle Public Schools has detailed its plan to begin first-dose clinics for students ages 5 and up from Nov. 8 through Nov. 23 and second-dose clinics from Nov. 29 through Dec. 14. The district plans to have 14 regional clinics that operate on weekends and during the evenings as well as 40 school-day clinics on specific campuses for enrolled students.
UW Medicine is offering the pediatric doses as well, but with just over 5,000 doses available as of Wednesday and more than 9,000 people on the waitlist, parents should probably try other providers before making an appointment there. However, an appointment can be scheduled at UW Medicine by calling 844-520-8700.
Appointments can be made at the Montlake and Northwest campuses as well as Harborview Medical Center on Saturday.
Seattle Children's said it will begin offering the pediatric vaccine on Nov. 9, adding that it will have limited doses and plans to continue to open up more appointments as doses become available. As of Friday morning, there were no appointments available through the hospital's scheduling portal.
PIERCE COUNTY
In Pierce County, the Tacoma Public School District is hosting COVID-19 vaccine clinics at several different schools. Parents can check dates, times and fill out the parental consent form on the district's website.
Additionally, the PrepMod vaccine locator shows appointments are being offered at Discovery Health in Puyallup.
However, the county said more doses will become available soon at more clinics, which will be listed in its own vaccine finder tool.
SKAGIT COUNTY
Skagit County Public Health announced that its popular drive-through testing and vaccination site at the county’s fairgrounds is already offering the pediatric vaccine as of Wednesday. Those interested in heading to this location can schedule an appointment through the DOH clinic finder.
Once there, search “Skagit County Public Health” under location. As of Friday afternoon, no appointments were available for any of the listed dates.
SNOHOMISH & THURSTON COUNTIES
As of Friday afternoon morning, Thurston and Snohomish counties are not running any sites offering the pediatric vaccine. The Thurston County Health Department had to cancel pre-registration appointments for a Nov. 7 pediatric vaccine clinic since it prematurely opened the clinic prior to the DOH’s approval, according to its website.
Snohomish County Health Department said Thursday that it is expecting to receive 16,000 doses but is still working to get these to providers so that they can begin offering appointments.
CHAIN PHARMACIES
Popular chain pharmacies will likely become convenient spots for kids to get their vaccines, but the rollout is also taking time as these clinics position doses across numerous locations.
CVS, for example, only has one location showing up on its website with the pediatric vaccine still available through Nov. 15.
A quick search on Walgreens' website on Friday afternoon for the Seattle area resulted in a message reading, "Based on the current supply of vaccines and/or the patient's age, we don't have any available appointments in your area."
Bartells' website did not have an option to schedule a pediatric vaccine appointment as of Friday.
Still can’t find an appointment?
If you're one of the likely thousands of parents unable to find an appointment for your 5- to 11-year-old, don’t panic. Virtually everywhere that has been offering COVID-19 vaccines thus far is expected to get continued shipments of the Pfizer pediatric doses.
Some places where eager parents may want to look first include schools and pediatrician offices. These will likely be the areas the DOH and local health officials will focus their efforts.
Already, the DOH and Public Health—Seattle & King County have announced their plans to get pediatric doses in schools and offer doses to doctors who want them.
On Wednesday, the DOH released information about COVID-19 infections in children, saying that case rates among children and youths are slowing after months of growth. Still, the level of infection is high among everyone.
Just from Oct. 10-24, the state saw 8,029 cases among Washingtonians under 18 years old.
As for vaccination rates, just over 60% of the state’s total population is fully vaccinated as of Nov. 1.