Santa Barbara County begins administering COVID-19 vaccines to kids five and under

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Santa Barbara County is expected to receive pediatric COVID-19 vaccines for children aged five and under as early as this week following recent emergency authorization of the pediatric vaccine.

“Our youngest community members are now eligible to receive safe and effective protection from the COVID-19 virus,” said Public Health Director Van Do-Reynoso. “We have been in contact with local pediatricians and pharmacies to assess incoming supply and will be at the ready to support vaccination needs as they arise.”

Roughly 27,900 children under the age of five are now eligible to be vaccinated in Santa Barbara County, and all children – including those who have already had COVID-19 – should roll up their sleeves and get the shot, public health officials said.

The vaccines are expected to arrive as early as this week and will be distributed at pediatric practices, pharmacies, and Federally Qualified Health Centers, according to the Public Health Department.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the pediatric vaccine for children between the ages of six months and five years on June 18, following the Food and Drug Administration's emergency authorization of the vaccine.

Children under the age of five can receive one-tenth of the adult dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in a three-part series, or one-quarter of the adult dose of the Moderna vaccine in a two-part series.

Public health officials said that the vaccine dosage does not vary by the patient's weight, but by their age on the day of the vaccination.