In following with new federal guidelines, Long Beach starting on Friday will offer the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months and older.
Both Moderna and Pfizer brand vaccines will be available for children and will be administered in lower doses. Pfizer will be administered in a three-dose series while, Moderna will be administered as a two-dose series.
“This is a huge step forward in our City’s efforts to keep our children and community safe in this public health crisis,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “Vaccines are safe and effective — especially at preventing hospitalization and serious illness. With vaccines now available to infants and toddlers, anyone who needs a vaccine can receive one.”
County health officials noted that young children are considered at lower risk of becoming severely ill or dying from COVID, but they said the risk is higher among unvaccinated children. They also contend that unvaccinated children are at higher risk of developing Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C.
COVID-19 vaccine doses for children under age 5 began slowly rolling out in Los Angeles County on Tuesday, although health officials warned that due to shipping delays, the pediatric shots weren’t expected to be more widely available until at least Wednesday.
Long Beach appointments for children ages 5 and younger will only be made available in the child-friendly clinical space at the Health Department’s Main Facility, located at 2525 Grand Ave., on the following days and times:
- Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 6 p.m.
- Saturdays, beginning July 2, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Families that include people with disabilities, access or functional needs, or underlying health conditions who are not able to travel to this vaccination site can request mobile vaccination at longbeach.gov/COVID19MobileVaccination or by calling 562-570-4636.