SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - The Pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine is now available to all children on the island. Children ages 5-11 are eligible to take two doses of the vaccine 21 days apart.
Parents, please register your child to take the vaccine via this link below. Once registered, the child will be invited for an appointment to come in at a specific date, time & location to receive their Pediatric vaccination.
https://forms.sintmaartengov.org/Form.aspx?fid=d4f336d5-3a9e-4d56-9078-c007e4ad9198&v=OGtn05kNmb
Children aged 12-17 years don’t need to register. This age group will be able to walk-in with a parent and receive the Pfizer vaccine during regular COVID vaccine clinic hours at the Vineyard Building.
The vaccine is FREE, very SAFE, and proven to be EFFECTIVE.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was granted FDA approval for prevention of COVID-19 disease to include children 5 through 11 years of age, as of October 29th, 2021. FDA had a very thorough and transparent evaluation which summarized the following:
The vaccine has comparable effectiveness in this 5–11-year age group, as it did in the older 16–25-year age group. The vaccine was found to be 90.7% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease among children.
The vaccine was studied in 3,100 children aged 5 to 11 years, and NO serious and long-lasting side effects were detected in the study.
To quote the study: “Commonly reported side effects in the clinical trial included injection site pain (sore arm), redness and swelling, fatigue, headache, muscle and/or joint pain, chills, fever, swollen lymph nodes, nausea and decreased appetite. More children reported side effects after the second dose than after the first dose.
Side effects were generally mild to moderate in severity and occurred within two days after vaccination, and most went away within one to two days.” The dreaded side effect of myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation around the heart) were still rare.
Due to this rarity, and the fact that the benefits far outweigh the risks, the vaccination was granted emergency use authorization by FDA with the support of many pediatricians and experts in the field.
It is imperative that we now protect OUR children with the vaccine, especially with current outbreaks within the schools. Sign your child(ren) aged 5-11 years up using the link above, and you will receive an appointment. There will be a pediatrician available at the clinic during appointment hours to further discuss any questions you may have.
Furthermore, CPS is urging all residents who have not taken doses one & two of the Pfizer Vaccine to come to the Vineyard Building between the hours of 8:30 am to 12:00 and 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm. Those in the community who are already vaccinated, are strongly encouraged to come for the Booster, if it has been 3 months since your last vaccine.
For further information about the Pediatric Vaccine, call the vaccination hotline at 721 526-1644. For all other vaccine and testing related questions, please call CPS at 914.
Source: Souliga Newsday https://www.soualiganewsday.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=41637:pfizer-vaccines-approved-for-kids-age-5-11-on-sint-maarten&Itemid=450
