MISSOULA - With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signing off on the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5 to 11 earlier this week, local healthcare providers and public health officials are encouraging parents to make an appointment to get their child vaccinated.
Several healthcare providers in Missoula are offering vaccine clinics for children ages 5 to 11, including the Missoula City-County Health Department and Community Medical Center, starting this week. Missoula County Public Schools is also offering a clinic in partnership with Granite Pharmacy and Western Montana Clinic. Several other providers are working on vaccination clinics for children.
The Missoula City-County Joint Information Center for COVID-19 is compiling current information about clinics, along with links to informational videos and educational materials for parents, on the website https://covid19.missoula.co/get-vaccinated/.
In the informational videos, Missoula physicians discuss how the vaccine can protect children from serious illness due to COVID-19 and encourage parents to talk with providers to get all their questions answered and make appointments to vaccinate their children.
“Kids are definitely at risk for COVID-19,” said Shaina Rogers, a pediatrician with Providence Montana. “I feel like it’s been a really rough year, especially for our children. I think we all want to move forward and put this chapter behind us. The best way to do that is to get vaccinated against COVID-19.”
Staff at Partnership Health Center encourage parents who want to speak to a physician about getting their child a COVID vaccine but who do not have access to a primary care provider to contact the clinic about scheduling an appointment for a consultation with a medical provider. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, PHC’s services are open to all, regardless of ability to pay. Community members can call 406-258-4789 to learn more about these services and schedule an appointment.
“These decisions can be challenging,” said Dr. Emma Wright, family physician with PHC. “I really want to encourage patients and parents to talk to their physicians and other healthcare providers about their concerns. We’re here to help and to be open and supportive.”
Community Children’s pediatrician Dr. Lauren McGovern also highlights the importance of COVID vaccination for 5-to-11-year-olds and how the benefits outweigh the risks.
“We’re all eager to get our own kids vaccinated,” she said. “We would never recommend something that we wouldn’t do for our own kids.”
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