Gov. Andy Beshear has announced that state vaccination sites can begin today administering Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to Kentuckians age 12 to 15.
Local public health officials say that rural health departments are not equipped at this time to store that particular vaccine, but strategies are being explored to facilitate its storage and availability here and in nearby counties.
Currently, Baptist Health in Madisonville, Walgreens in Morganfield or Madisonville and CVS in Paducah are the nearest locations to get the vaccine approved for this age group.
According to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 231,000 Kentuckians are in the 12-15 age group, which makes up roughly 5% of the state’s total population.
Among the three highly effective COVID-19 vaccines that are available, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the only option for individuals 12-17 years of age. Consent from a parent or legal guardian is required in order for the vaccine to be administered to those who are 12-17 in Kentucky.
During Monday’s briefing on COVID-19, Gov. Beshear and Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, announced the state’s transition to a federal website – vaccines.gov – that allows Kentuckians to search nearby vaccination sites and filter the search by vaccine brand: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and/or Janssen/Johnson & Johnson.
Children are less likely to develop severe illness from COVID-19, however, they can spread COVID-19 to others even when they are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Therefore, vaccinating 12- to 15-year-olds will help protect more vulnerable adults by reducing their likelihood of exposure from infected family members. This is important for vulnerable adults even if they are immunized.
The Pfizer vaccine has proven very highly effective at preventing COVID-19 cases in 12- to 15-year-olds.
Children represent a growing proportion of reported cases, and clusters of cases have occurred among adolescents in schools and on sports teams.
Individuals who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine after an exposure to someone with COVID-19, which minimizes disruption to the individual and their family.
