The majority of major pharmacy chains have been vaccinated with the Covid vaccine since the age of three, but some do not. For example, Publix and Kroger offer shots from the age of five.
CVS is a store that houses the Minute Clinic location, offering covid shots to 18-month-olds, while other stores set a minimum age of five.
It wasn’t clear why some pharmacies set age limits on Thursday where they had. Kroger spokeswoman Erin Rolfes declined to comment on why the pharmacy set a lower limit of 5. Publix did not respond to the message asking for comment. Amy Thibault, a CVS spokeswoman, just said that the chain uses pharmacists, pharmacy internships, and pharmacy technicians to administer shots to children over the age of five.
Mitchell Rothholtz, head of immunization advocacy at the American Pharmacists Association, says that all pharmacists are trained to vaccinate people over the age of three, but receive additional training before working with younger children. He said that some people like it.
“Whether practices do that is based on their level of comfort and the availability of resources,” he said.
Even if the pharmacy of your choice does not provide shots to eligible children, the pharmacist there can turn you in the right direction. “I always encourage parents and caregivers to talk to the pharmacy or contact their pediatrician,” Rothholtz said.
Asked on Thursday about the policies of many pharmacies to vaccinate children over the age of three, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said: Treats younger children. “
She also noted that “parents’ willingness to take young children to regular vaccination sites, whether they are local community health centers or local pediatricians.” Did.
Some parents have already encountered a disability.
Kelly Jensen of Woodstock, Illinois, said he called at least 10 times earlier this week to look for a vaccine for his 14-month-old daughter. Many large pharmacies do not vaccinate young children. Jensen said her pediatrician did not provide vaccines to young children because of her diminished interest.
“The very frustrating thing is that I couldn’t find any information,” said Jensen, 37. “I felt like I was crazy trying to find something.”
Other types of clinics may be a better option for many parents, but some parents are looking to social media groups and grassroots networks to find a pharmacy that can accommodate their children.
A group of volunteers called Vaccinate Under 5 has been created National database of pharmacies A provider that administers vaccines to infants. According to the group, maps with online submissions from parents and doctors were working with reservations for children under the age of five.
“I didn’t want to access any more hurdles when my parents were already experiencing a lot,” the group said in a statement. “As our own parents, we chose vaccination and waited months for the choice to provide them with the same baseline immunity that other age groups had access to for months.”
On Tuesday, Jensen drove to a clinic 30 minutes from her home, where she was notified and was told that the vaccine was not available. The next day she received a phone call from her office informing her that the vaccine was in stock. She went in a hurry.
“I had a child during a pandemic,” Jensen said. “She’s now over a year old in a pandemic, and it’s almost as if she’s finally getting some help for her poor little system.
The policies of some major pharmacy chains are:
