Carle now scheduling appointments for COVID-19 vaccine available to children 6 months and older

Urbana, Ill. — Carle supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation for children 6 months – 4 years to receive the authorized COVID-19 vaccine and has begun scheduling appointments to administer doses at Primary Care and Pediatric locations across the system.

Extensive data and review by experts from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have found both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to be safe and effective for this age group to protect against severe infection. The Pfizer vaccine received an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for vaccinations in those 6 months to 4 years while the Moderna vaccine received an EUA for its doses from 6 months to 5 years.

“The data is clear that the two available vaccines for this young age group are both safe and effective”, Brent Reifsteck, MD, pediatrician, Carle Medical Director of Children’s Services said. “This age group has the benefit of access to multiple vaccines to prevent illness. COVID is still a risk for these children, even though they don’t experience severe illness as often as adults. These COVID-19 vaccines will offer increased protection for these children.”

As more mitigation efforts lift around the state and with the anticipated the growth of the new Omicron strains, it’s likely that we’ll continue to see positive cases continue to go up throughout the region.

“As we’ve seen the rate of positivity tick upward each week, vaccine continues to be an effective way to prevent illness and death from COVID-19, even for this young population,” Robert Healy, MD, Associate Chief Medical Director Quality, Patient Safety and Experience. “It is an important step in reducing the amount of illness in our communities to see the inclusion of this age group with a vaccine option.”

Carle patients and community members can schedule an appointment today with their child’s healthcare provider or by calling the hotline at (217) 902-6100 to keep children protected and reduce the amount of illness in our area. Vaccines for this age group will be administered in Primary Care Pediatric offices by Carle clinicians who are experienced in caring for infants and children.