Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

Sanford Health to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months and older

BEMIDJI, Minn, – Sanford Health will begin administering Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine to children ages 6 months to 4 years starting today. This is the final group in the U.S. that has been approved to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

“We are incredibly excited as most of our youngest patients will now have the opportunity receive the COVID-19 vaccine to aid in their protection from the virus,” said Colleen Swank, MD, Pediatrician and Vice President Clinic, at Sanford Health in Bemidji. “Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be safe and effective in reducing the risk of hospitalization and death in children.”

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the vaccine Saturday, June 18, following a vote by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The authorization gives federal approval for children between the ages of 6 months to 4 years to receive the Pfizer vaccine. The vaccine for this age group is a three-dose series. The first two shots are administered three to eight weeks apart and the third is given at least eight weeks after the second dose.

“It’s a long-awaited milestone for this age group. Today we celebrate the opportunity for everyone 6 months and older to receive a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Swank. “The vaccine will continue to be the safest and most effective tool to fight this virus and the inevitable variants along with it.”

Parents and guardians can begin scheduling their children June 24 to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at Sanford Health primary care locations. Appointments are preferred and can be made through My Sanford Chart or by calling your preferred Sanford Health clinic.

For more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, visit sanfordhealth.org and the CDC.

About Sanford Health

Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization serves more than one million patients and 220,000 health plan members across 250,000 square miles. The integrated health system has 47 medical centers, 2,800 Sanford physicians and advanced practice providers, 170 clinical investigators and research scientists, more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations and world clinics in 8 countries around the globe. Learn more about Sanford Health's commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.

 

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