Summit County Health Director Dr. Phil Bondurant says that a vaccine for youngsters 5 to 11 could be approved by the end of the month.
That means upwards of 3000 children in the county might be fully vaccinated by Christmas.
Dr. Bondurant told KPCW that the decision on a child vaccine will come from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a group within the CDC setting guidance for vaccines.
He said that the committee is set to meet on October 28th and will possibly vote to authorize an emergency Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. If an approval is granted, the county can start administering the shots right after Halloween, on November 1st.
Bondurant said he has consulted with his staff about how much demand they might see.
“We suspect we will have close to 3000 Summit County residents, 5 to 11, that want to be vaccinated. With our partners at the hospital, with our clinics that we’re running in each of the three health departments, the pediatricians and the pharmacies, that we will be able to get that group complete within the first 30 days of the announcement, meaning that everybody 5 to 11 that wants to be vaccinated would have both shots before the Christmas holiday, the end of December.”
He said the schedule he’s discussing allows for 28 days between shots.
Bondurant added that the advisory committee is also scheduled to meet in mid-October and vote on a Moderna booster. The group will also discuss a Johnson and Johnson booster.
