By Philip Haldiman
Twitter: @PhilipHaldiman

With the recent approval and release of the COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11, some children in Peoria are getting an early jump on being protected.

Pleasant Pediatrics, which has six locations throughout the Valley including four in Peoria, administered vaccinations  beginning Nov. 2.

Nichole Sipple, office manager for the Pleasant Pediatrics location on Lake Pleasant Parkway, said the vaccine is open to all children, including those who are not patients of the office. They are also offering the shot to people of all ages free of charge.

“We hope the public knows that you don’t need to have insurance for the vaccine. Some people may be confused and might opt out thinking there is a financial cost,” she said. “We don’t want finances to be a deterrent.”

Thousands of pediatricians, including Pleasant Pediatrics, pre-ordered doses, and Pfizer began shipments soon after the Food and Drug Administration’s decision Friday to authorize emergency use. Pfizer said it expects to make 19,000 shipments totaling about 11 million doses in the next several days, and that millions more will be available to order on a weekly basis.

Pleasant Pediatrics has been a pandemic provider throughout the pandemic.

Sipple said since the vaccine for children was approved, the office has received a lot of activity from patients and others hoping to get their children vaccinated.

There has been a positive response and the office will have a very full schedule over the next few days, she said.

“Some parents wanted this vaccine a long time ago,” Sipple said.

The vaccine — one-third the dose given to older children and adults and administered with kid-sized needles — requires two doses three weeks apart, plus two more weeks for full protection to kick in.

Peoria parent Kristin Fray said she is incredibly excited the COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for the 5-11 year old age group.

She said her daughter does not like getting shots, but will make an exception for this one, especially if it means returning to normal, like taking a dance class when she is fully vaccinated.

Not knowing how coordinated the vaccine distribution would be, Fray planned ahead and made her an appointment for this Friday afternoon.

“As a parent, I am feeling relief, but I know it takes five weeks to be fully protected after both doses. So we will not change our behavior just yet,” Fray said.

Vaccines are not required in the Peoria Unified School District, but schools have seen cases grow since the emergence of the Delta Variant.

PUSD spokeswoman Danielle Airey said the district will be sharing Maricopa County’s information and guidelines regarding this next round of vaccinations for those families who are interested.

“We are hopeful that the access to vaccines will help to reduce the number of cases in our community and schools,” she said.

Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.

Philip Haldiman
News Editor | Peoria
@PhilipHaldiman

phaldiman@iniusa.org

Philip Haldiman is a third generation Arizona native with brief residencies on the east and west coasts. He has bachelor’s degrees in Theater and Journalism at Arizona State University, and is an award winning journalist with more than 15 years worth of experience in reporting and editing. Most recently, he took first place for investigative reporting and third place for best sustained coverage or series at the 2023 Arizona Newspapers Association awards. In his free time, he produces an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.