Young people ages 12-15 can now get the COVID-19 vaccine in Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Here are the details:
Get an appointment
Vaccination appointments can be made at VaccinateLACounty.com; the Spanish website is VacunateLosAngeles.com. People without internet access can call (833) 540-0473. County-run sites will also inoculate walk-ins.
California’s vaccine scheduling website My Turn had previously said that families could begin scheduling appointments for children ages 12 to 15 starting Thursday.
What you need
Anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or responsible adult, and present photo identification and age verification, local officials said.
Vaccination sites
County-run sites offering the Pfizer vaccine include Balboa Sports Complex in Encino, Fairplex in Pomona, Forum in Inglewood, Cal State Northridge, the LA Office of Education in Downey, and Eugene A. Obregon Park in East LA. town.
You can find a list of inoculation clinics throughout the county that offer Pfizer antigen at bit.ly/PfizerSites.
The vaccine
The National Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children as young as 12 on Monday, sparking a race to protect middle and high school students. before they return to school in the fall.
Authorization
The FDA cleared the antigen for adolescents after a study involving 2,260 participants between the ages of 12 and 15; 1,131 got the vaccine and 1,129 got a saltwater placebo. The most common side effects among those who received the vaccine were generally mild and lasted one to three days: injection site pain, tiredness, headache, chills, muscle pain, fever, and joint pain. Side effects are similar to those in adults and older teens. Some people who received the injection did not experience any side effects.
Among a group of 1,005 antigen recipients, who had no evidence of previous infection with the coronavirus, no cases of COVID-19 were reported, which means that “the vaccine was 100% effective in preventing COVID-19,” said the FDA in a statement.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strengthened the FDA clearance Wednesday with its own recommendation that adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 receive the antigen.
The benefits
Authorities say increased vaccinations will help prevent children from becoming carriers of the coronavirus, and will also protect them against multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a rare but serious, painful complication. and life-threatening associated with COVID-19.
The syndrome can cause inflammation of a child’s heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.
There have been 508 cases of MIS-C in California. Half of the children who have become ill with the inflammatory condition were previously healthy, with no underlying conditions. Statewide, 21 children have died from this inflammatory syndrome; their average age was 15 years.
The 186 cases of MIS-C in Los Angeles required hospitalization and approximately 40% of those children required intensive care. Two county children have died from the syndrome.
If you want to read this article in Spanish, Click here.
–
