TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Getting your child vaccinated is now easier in Tallahassee.
Florida A&M's vaccine clinic is now available for ages five and older. Health experts say the pandemic ends when the entire community is protected from the virus.
Site director Tanya Tatum says it's a big step.
"I think it just gives us an opportunity to kind of start the New Year right and to give the best chance for our kids to not have to deal with COVID and it's another tool that we can use to help fight COVID infection," she said.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control approved Pfizer's COVID vaccine for five-11-year-olds.
It's a formula that's slightly different from what adults have received for nearly a year.
"It's a much smaller dose than it is for adults, and so the manufacturers of the pharmaceutical companies actually repackaged the vaccines, so that it's very clear that it's a different bottle," she said.
The shift has many Leon County parents, like Heather Rosenberg seeing the end of the pandemic.
"If you go and you look at grave graveyards cemeteries and you see all the teensy tiny people who died prior to the 1940s. And then you look and after the 1960s, we don't see quite as many of the teeny tiny gravestones that are out there. All of that came about because of vaccines and better access to higher quality health care," said Rosenberg.
Since its approval, the Florida Department of Health reports 6% of kids five and older have received the shot. That's more than 101,000.
In all three brands, the first, second, and booster doses are now available at FAMU. Tanya Tatum says she's seeing a newfound desire with vaccines.
"Our numbers have increased. Yesterday we vaccinated 100 people. I was thrilled. Not only did we have a number of children between the ages of 5 and 11, but also had a number of new doses. I was really quite pleased," she added.
Tatum hopes that since the well-known site on Tallahassee's Southside has vials for children, that number will tick up even higher.
"I'm hoping that we're contributing to keeping our rates low. I think having it at a location where people can come and easily get it taken care of certainly helps. the more we can make it easy and efficient for people certainly helps," she said.
You can come out to the dual vaccination and testing site near the FAMU Police station. It's open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.
However, if you're eager to get your child vaccinated, the site will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving and re-open on Monday; the 29th.
