San Mateo County ready for COVID-19 vaccine clinics for children

A red carpet and familiar cartoon characters will greet families as they enter the county’s first pediatric vaccine clinic this Saturday, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the San Mateo County Event Center. 

The clinic, featuring various themes like Legoland, Candy Land and Roblox, will also provide families with TVs and life-sized games as entertainment while waiting for their doses and during the 15-minute observation period, read the press release. 

Additional pediatric clinics will be held at the event center from 2:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, through Friday, Nov. 12. Families can make appointments for their children through the state’s vaccine clinic website, MyTurn, and slots are limited to just those in the 5 to 11 age group. 

Other eligible groups looking to get their first, second or booster dose will have access to a drive-thru clinic being held simultaneously at the Event Center. Children near 12 years old are still recommended to get the pediatric dose which is a third of the standard dose, Dr. Anand Chabra, medical director of Family Health Services, said. 

Chabra, who has led the county’s mass vaccination effort, said the first walk-through clinic will be more intimate than previous vaccine drive-thru events hosted at the site. Rather than offering thousands of doses, only 200 appointments will be available to ensure the clinic runs smoothly and families feel comfortable. 

“This is a really exciting time that we can finally vaccinate 5- to 11-year-olds. We know people have been eagerly waiting,” Chabra said. “We want to ensure privacy and lots of time to answer questions. We want it to be a very child-friendly environment.” 

Meeting demand

The county could ramp up operations depending on demand, Chabra said, noting many other community partners will also play a key role in getting vaccines into the arms of children including the education community, pharmacies, pediatricians and large medical providers.

Of the roughly 60 pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccines in the county, 21 are scheduling appointments for pediatric doses, Chabra said.

Dr. Keedra McNeill, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente, said during a press briefing Wednesday that clinics through the medical provider would be open to its members starting Monday, Nov. 8, with appointments opening up Thursday.  

“If we receive our allocation sooner than we definitely hope to begin starting that process sooner so that we can really get that protection in line for our youngest members as early as we can,” McNeill said, noting she and her husband took a “big collective sigh of relief” now that their own daughters can be vaccinated.  

A spokesperson for Sutter Health said the provider also intends on scheduling vaccine appointments for younger children soon. 

The San Mateo County Office of Education has also teamed up with County Health to host regional clinics on school campuses which would be accessible to any child regardless of whether they’re enrolled in the district, county Superintendent Nancy Magee said during a community forum last week. 

Specific locations have yet to be released but officials anticipate staging the clinics in the San Mateo-Foster City School District on Nov. 15, the Pacific School District on Nov. 16, Jefferson Elementary School District on Nov. 17 and a Redwood City School District on Nov. 18, Magee said. 

Chabra said the clinics are part of the county’s effort to bring vaccines to underserved communities hit hard by the pandemic but apprehensive about the treatments. Despite a new focus on younger children, unvaccinated people ages 12 and older will remain a key priority, requiring officials to consider all who may need access to vaccines when planning for events and staffing demands, Chabra said. 

“There’s a lot of balancing the competing demands and really keeping equity at the forefront of our minds,” he said.

Standing community clinics established to create better vaccine access for underserved residents are not yet providing pediatric doses but may in the future to meet demand if necessary, Chabra said.

Vaccine safety, concerns 

Recognizing lingering concerns around getting vaccinated, Dr. Nicola Klein, director of the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, said clinical trials proved the vaccine to be 90.7% effective at preventing COVID-19 infections among children. 

Vaccine side effects are similar to those experienced in older populations, including fatigue and other flu-like symptoms. No children were hospitalized with the virus during the study, Klein noted. 

Sharing her full support for the vaccine as a parent and physician, Klein said the trials were conducted in similar “high-quality standards” used during other vaccine studies Kaiser has conducted over the past 30 years. 

“I have very great confidence in this vaccine and I’m so excited that it’s now available for children of this age,” Klein said. “As a parent I’m just so pleased to see that children are getting vaccinated and they have the opportunity to start to receive the same protections teens and adults have been receiving for the past couple months.” 

Chabra echoed Klein’s message on the safety of the vaccines but encouraged families to speak with their medical providers before being treated if they have additional questions. A medical provider will also be at the county’s clinic to answer questions. 

David Canepa, president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, shared his support for the vaccines in a press release, noting ‘the experts say it’s safe and will protect children from an infection that can hurt them, and I trust the experts.”  

Looking ahead at cooler winter months when illnesses are easily spread and families are more likely to gather, the medical professionals said the doses are an important measure for protecting oneself and loved ones. 

Officials also argued the doses can serve as a resource for children whose lives have been greatly altered during the pandemic with remote learning, limited peer interactions and the implementation of other safety measures. 

“Let’s face it: the past year and a half has been rough on all of us, and I would say especially for our children,” Callagy said. “Plus, these kids are superheroes for doing their part and we want to celebrate them during their visit.” 

Visit the County Health website at smchealth.org/coronavirus for more information on vaccine clinics. 

sierra@smdailyjournal.com 

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