El Paso Children's Hospital first to administer Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to kids 5-11

Aaron A. Bedoya, El Paso Times
·3 min read

Children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's director signed off on an expert panel's recommendation.

The El Paso Children's Hospital administered the first vaccines in the city on-site Tuesday night.

A video from the hospital shows Tinsley and Paisley Marquez were the first children to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in El Paso. The hospital invited the girls to get the vaccine; details on the invitation were not released.

"This is something we've been waiting for," said the children's mother, Bianca Marquez. The girls' father is Roman Marquez.

Tinsley and Paisley Marquez were the first kids to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in El Paso. The El Paso Children's Hospital administered the vaccines on-site Tuesday night.
Tinsley and Paisley Marquez were the first kids to get the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in El Paso. The El Paso Children's Hospital administered the vaccines on-site Tuesday night.

The El Paso Children's Hospital will have a limited number of doses for the public available soon, according to a statement released Tuesday. Details on a time and date were not made available.

Parents may visit elpasochildrens.org/vaccine or call 915-298-5433 for registration information as it is made available. Registration is by appointment only, and no walk-ins will be accepted.

Though the vaccines carry some risk for children, their benefits are greater, concluded the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, made up of vaccine and immune system experts from universities and medical schools across the country.

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"We know millions of parents are eager to get their children vaccinated and with this decision, we now have recommended that about 28 million children receive a COVID-19 vaccine," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a news release. "As a mom, I encourage parents with questions to talk to their pediatrician, school nurse or local pharmacist to learn more about the vaccine and the importance of getting their children vaccinated."

COVID in El Paso: 14 more COVID-19 deaths reported last week in El Paso County, total deaths at 2,836

This photo provided by Pfizer shows kid-size doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Puurs, Belgium.
This photo provided by Pfizer shows kid-size doses of its COVID-19 vaccine in Puurs, Belgium.

Fully vaccinating 1 million children in the age group would prevent about 57,000 cases of COVID-19 and about 200 hospitalizations, the CDC said.

Parents who have concerns about the shots should speak with their pediatrician, CDC and committee members said.

The news release from El Paso Children's Hospital notes that for children 5 through 11 years of age, there are no other COVID-19 vaccines available under Emergency Use Authorization other than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

It also states that COVID-19 vaccines have been used under the most intensive safety monitoring in U.S. history, which includes studies in adolescents.

Parents also should know that children will need a second shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine three weeks after their first shot, the news release said. Also, children 5 to 11 receive a smaller dosage of the vaccine than adults.

Children cannot get COVID-19 from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

However, unvaccinated children can be infected with the coronavirus, get sick from COVID-19 and spread COVID-19 to others.

USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso Children's Hospital offering Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for kids