Where to get kids COVID vaccine in California

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Vaccination sites across California for the first time began administering Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine doses to children ages 5 to 11 Wednesday.

It marks the beginning of a campaign to vaccinate millions more children in California, with the state planning to offer the vaccines at schools, pediatric offices, pharmacies and county sites.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday gave the final approval to Pfizer’s kid-size COVID-19 shots, allowing millions of children across the nation to get the jab.

On the state’s MyTurn vaccination portal, appointment and walk-ins will become available starting Thursday. Officials said there will be more appointment slots in the coming days.

“This expanded eligibility for lifesaving vaccines moves us closer to ending the pandemic, which has taken a heavy toll on the well-being of our kids,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement, adding that the state is “moving swiftly to implement a robust and equitable vaccination program for 5-11-year-olds.”

Pharmacies like Walgreens, CVS and Rite-Aid are also offering vaccine appointments for the younger children.

CVS says its locations will be offering the Pfizer vaccine for kids ages 5 to 11 starting Sunday, while Rite-Aid says appointment scheduling for the age group will begin Thursday.

Los Angeles County

L.A. County’s Department of Public Health’s told KTLA Wednesday that it has already begun vaccinating the younger age group.

To find a location offering the vaccine to younger children in Los Angeles County, go to the county’s vaccination portal and choose a location that offers the Pfizer vaccine.

The fastest way is to search for locations by first entering the age. Sites that have the kid-size vaccine doses will have “Pfizer (5-11)” below the location name.

A signed consent form is required and children getting the shots must be accompanied by their parent, legal guardian or a responsible adult.

In L.A. County, about 900,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11 became newly eligible for the jabs this week.

In the coming weeks, vaccines for children will be offered at 480 school-based events, the health department said. A network of nearly 900 providers countywide is prepared to provide vaccines to children, with county mobile vaccination teams also working to ensure more access to kids aged 5 to 11.

Health officials said the first pediatric doses arrived in L.A. County Tuesday, with more scheduled to arrive later this week.

Long Beach and Pasadena

Pasadena, which has its own health department, will begin administering the Pfizer vaccine to children 5 to 11 years old on Monday, by appointment only through MyTurn.

Long Beach also has its own health department and expects to begin vaccinating the younger kids starting Friday at these city-run sites: Houghton Park, Long Beach City College Pacific Coast Campus, Long Beach City College Veterans Stadium and Cabrillo High School.

An estimated 43,900 people living in Long Beach are between 5 and 11 years old, while Pasadena has nearly 8,000 children in that age group.

Riverside County

Riverside County sites hadn’t begun administering the vaccines as of Wednesday

County health department spokesman Jose Arballo Jr. told KTLA the county is still waiting on word from the state, but the earliest it will begin administering the shots will be on Saturday at Lake Elsinore and Indio clinics.

Residents can looks for updates on the county’s vaccine page.

Orange County

The county’s vaccine appointment site, Othena, was not letting users schedule appointments for kids 5 to 11 years old as of 1 p.m. Wednesday, but county residents can use MyTurn to find an appointment.

“We expect the vaccine to be available at our mobile clinics within the next few days and through other regular vaccine distribution channels as well,” County Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau said in a statement Wednesday evening. “We ask for our community’s patience as we and other providers prepare to make the vaccine available to the newly eligible age group.

Parents and legal guardians seeking a vaccine for their eligible children are encouraged to first check with their pediatrician for availability, the O.C. Health Care Agency said. Other vaccine distribution channels expected to offer the vaccine for children ages 5-11 include local pharmacies, healthcare providers and online scheduling platforms Vaccines.gov, MyTurn.ca.gov, or Othena.com.

San Bernardino County

The county will begin administering the vaccines to children ages 5 to 11 starting Thursday, San Bernardino County spokesperson David Wert told KTLA.

Parents may contact their child’s pediatrician or medical provider directly or go to county-run locations as walk-ins on Thursday and with appointments on Friday at several locations listed here.