Frederick County to start giving COVID shots for ages 6 months to 5 years old

Angela Roberts, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·2 min read

Jun. 22—A year and a half after Frederick Health Hospital administered the first COVID-19 vaccination in Frederick County, the county health department will start giving the first shots to some of the community's youngest residents.

The Frederick County Health Department will host a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for children 6 months to 5 years old on Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. at 585 Himes Ave. A second clinic will be held on Tuesday at the same time and place.

More clinics for kids under 5 will follow.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the green light Friday for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to be administered to infants and preschoolers. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention followed with a recommendation Saturday for everyone older than 6 months to get a shot.

Appointments are required for children between 6 months and 5 years old to get vaccinated at the upcoming clinics, the health department said in a news release on Tuesday. Parents can sign up at frederickcountymd.gov/covidvaccine.

Vaccines are free and insurance is not required, the health department said in the release. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to receive a shot.

The health department asked parents not to come more than 15 minutes before their child's vaccination appointment to help avoid long lines at the clinics.

Children receive a smaller dose of COVID-19 vaccine than teens and adults. Moderna requires two doses spaced one month apart, the health department said, and Pfizer requires three doses with the second dose three weeks after the first, and the third dose at least eight weeks after the second.

The health department encouraged parents to check with their pediatricians about scheduling a vaccination appointment for their children at their "medical home."

Other nearby COVID-19 vaccine clinics can be found at marylandvax.org and vaccines.gov.

Nearly 80% of Frederick County residents — 205,738 — were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, making Frederick the county with the third highest proportion of fully vaccinated residents in the state.

Follow Angela Roberts on Twitter: @24_angier