Vaccines now available for ages 5 and up

Published 10:06 am Monday, November 8, 2021

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Several area locations offering vaccinations for children

POLK COUNTY—Parents of children ages 5 and above can now get their children vaccinated against COVID-19. 

The vaccinations were approved this week for children ages 5-11. The vaccinations have already been available for children aged 12-17. 

Sign up for our daily email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox

The Polk County Division of Public Health announced the availability of the free vaccines for everyone now ages 5 and above. 

To schedule an appointment in the area, people can contact Foothills Pharmacy in Columbus at 828-894-6112; CVS Pharmacy in Columbus at 828-894-8247; Smith’s Drug in Forest City at 828-245-4591; Blue Ridge Community Health in Columbus at 828-894-2222 and most Walgreen’s locations. 

The Centers for Disease Control is now recommending that children ages 5-11 receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 

The CDC says that Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine is over 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 in children ages 5-11. The CDC also says the COVID-19 vaccines have undergone, and continue to undergo, the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history. 

After getting a COVID-19 vaccine, children may have some side effects, such as a headache and fatigue. The CDC says these are normal signs that their body is building protection and the side effects should go away in a few days.