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Kids 5 to 11 could soon get the COVID-19 shot; what is Pennsylvania doing to prepare?

Vaccine providers are already seeing a surge in people coming in for shots. Now, more children could be eligible if the FDA gives its approval.

PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Vaccine providers across Pennsylvania are preparing as the FDA will likely consider a request by the end of the month to expand Pfizer's COVID-19 shot to children 5-11. Currently, only children over 12 are eligible for the shot.

Places such as Hershey Pharmacy in Derry Township, Dauphin County are already seeing an increased demand for vaccinations as more business mandate the COVID-19 shot, more people become eligible for a COVID-19 booster, and as more people seek out a flu vaccine.

Meantime, the Wolf Administration announced Friday more efforts to help K-12 schools and institutions of higher education. The PA Dept. of Health is asking vaccine providers to support COVID-19 vaccination clinics at schools. It is also encouraging K-12 schools to participate in free COVID-19 testing run in cooperation with the state and Ginkgo Bioworks.

Listen to HersheyCare pharmacist Chuck Kray discuss COVID-19 vaccinations for children:

Listen to pharmacist Dr. Mark Green at Hershey Pharmacy on his take on COVID-19 vaccinations for children:

The COVID19 shot could soon be approved for kids 5-11. It's already approved for kids 12 and above. So what do parents need to know? Pharmacist Dr. Mark Green is the person giving the shots at Hershey Pharmacy. So I asked him about it. Read more: WPMT FOX43 https://www.fox43.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/covid-coronavirus-covid19-vaccine-shot-pennsylvania-fda-pfizer-kids-children-school-clinic/521-65e46ffd-4e2c-4542-80e3-a796fce9b955

Posted by Jamie Bittner on Friday, October 8, 2021

"A priority of the Wolf Administration is to have and maintain in-person instruction, sports programs, and other extra-curricular activities at schools," Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. "Unfortunately, we continue to see predominately unvaccinated Pennsylvanians infected with multiple variants of COVID-19, including the highly contagious Delta variant. This reinforces the need for accessible COVID-19 vaccinations for eligible individuals in K-12 schools so that our students, teachers and staff can stay safe."

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