COVID vaccine rollout begins for young kids, babies in Santa Clara County
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- In the South Bay, Santa Clara County is ready to give the COVID-19 vaccine to its youngest residents.
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Beginning Tuesday, kids 6 months to 5 years can receive a children's first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Appointments are open now.
Video taken Monday shows the supply for kids arriving in the South Bay.
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It was a highly-anticipated and long-awaited move, says Stanford Health infectious disease physician, Dr. Hector Bonilla.
He says of that age group and across the country, around 45,000 kids have already been infected with COVID-19.
Of that number, Dr. Bonilla says "10,000 go into the ICU and 400 kids die. I don't want your kid to be another number."
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The county's public health officer says among the more than 400 kids across the country who have died, one was a child in Santa Clara County.
In addition to the county's existing vaccination sites, it's opening a new site in Mountain View, meant to serve north county residents.
The hope is to get to a point where the county can administer 1,000 kid vaccines per day, reduce infections and transmission, and offer some relief for families with young children.
But Dr. Bonilla understands the COVID vaccine doesn't come without concern.
"There had been no report of a single case for myocarditis in pediatric population, it's possible it had to do with the doses and the immune system is completely different than in adults."
The kids Pfizer vaccine is an expected three-shot sequence. Moderna will be given over two shots.
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Parents are encouraged to check with their healthcare providers first.
For the county, appointments can be made online.
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