KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Tuesday afternoon, the CDC officially recommended Pfizer’s lower dose of the vaccine for kids ages 5–11 years old. On Thursday at 1 p.m. the Kent County Health Department began giving it to kids.
Registered Nurse Mary Wisinski said nurses and parents have been “excited.”
“I went out on a clinic earlier this morning and talked to one of the nurses, and by 9 o’clock she’d already vaccinated six kids. And, one parent had tears in their eyes,” said Wisinski, who's also the immunization supervisor at the KCHD. “They were so happy, and that is so fun for the nurses to be able to see that. It just puts a lift in their steps and a smile on their faces.”
Wisinski said they ordered over 2,000 doses of the vaccine and distributed some to several locations.
She said they don’t plan on doing any big clinics for kids like they put on earlier this year for adults and restaurant workers. However, some of the partners may do so.
“I went to a clinic earlier this morning and talked to one of the nurses and by 9a she’d already vaccinated 6 kids. And one parent had tears in their eyes,” says 👩🏻⚕️ w/ @KCHD
— Lauren Edwards (@LaurenEdwardsTV) November 5, 2021
Kent Co HD began vaccinating kids ages 5-11 on Thursday. // @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/mn3p8lUrMI
As for the health department, their is schedule is filling up.
“I looked at their calendar for next week and it looks like we have between 10 and 20 [appointments] at two of our three locations almost every day next week,” Wisinski said during a Zoom interview on Friday afternoon. “So, remember we just started taking appointments on Wednesday, but we also already had appointments on our schedule.”
Wisinski added that they created “another row” of COVID-only slots at their Fuller location to get more appointments scheduled.
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However, she wants parents and guardians to know that they’re closed on Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. So, they opened two Tuesday night clinics: Nov. 9 and Nov. 16, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Moreover, if some parents are hesitant about getting the vaccine, Wisinski recommended that they reach out to trusted professionals to get their questions answered.
“If you’re on the fence, then take your time and do your research ’cause we want parents to feel good about it,” she said. “We’re very happy that we have this tool in our toolbox.”
***For appointments at the Kent County Health Department, click here or call (616) 632-7200***
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