R.I. expands Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to ages 5-11

Updated at 1:17 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2021.

FOLLOWING FEDERAL GUIDANCE, Rhode Island has expanded eligibility for a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 5 to 11. The vaccine dosage for children is one-third the size of a dosage used for older age groups. / AP FILE PHOTO/PFIZER

PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island has expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination to children ages 5 to 11, Gov. Daniel J. McKee and the R.I. Department of Health announced Wednesday.

The announcement follows a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation issued Tuesday evening that children in the 5-11 age range may get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

“The approval of the Pfizer vaccine for 5 to 11 year olds is the next big step towards protecting all Rhode Islanders from COVID-19,” said McKee in a statement Wednesday. “With more than 90% of adult Rhode Islanders at least partially vaccinated, Rhode Island is second in the nation in vaccinations. Now, it’s time for our youngest Rhode Islanders to get vaccinated too. Together, we’ll be able to vaccinate even more of the Ocean State.”

The state has already received 900 doses of the vaccine for children and anticipates another 9,900 to be delivered Wednesday. RIDOH warned that because much of the state’s supply of the vaccine is in transit, the vaccine may not be immediately available in some locations.

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The vaccine, which is a smaller dosage than the vaccine already available to older age groups, will eventually be available in clinics at schools, some primary care providers, the state-run vaccination site at Sockanosset Cross Road in Cranston, pharmacies, health centers and community clinics, RIDOH said.

The Pfizer vaccine for children is administered in a two-dose series, three weeks apart. It is one-third of the dosage of the vaccine used for older age groups.

“The best way to keep your family safe when it comes to COVID-19 is to get everyone who is eligible vaccinated. That now includes children 5 to 11 years of age. There will be vaccination opportunities for children 5 to 11 in every community throughout the state,” said R.I. Director of Health Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott. “This vaccine has been studied and monitored very carefully. It is safe, and it works. If there is a child who is between 5 and 11 years old in your household, get that child vaccinated as soon as possible.”

The department said that appointments for children to receive the vaccine at the state-run vaccination site will become available at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

CVS Health said Wednesday that it is now accepting appointments for the Pfizer pediatric vaccine, with shots starting Nov. 7. The company will make the vaccine available at 1,700 pharmacy locations nationwide, including 11 in Rhode Island.

Update: Adds information about vaccine availability at CVS Pharmacy locations.

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