COVID shots for kids under 5 now available in PA. Here’s where to find them in Centre County

After a long wait, children under 5 are able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Pennsylvania. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with the U.S Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of modified Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for children six months and up.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced last week that pediatricians across the state will have the vaccine available as early as Tuesday.

“The approval of the vaccines for young children across the state and the nation is welcome news for many parents who have been waiting for the opportunity to provide valuable protection for their children from COVID-19,” Acting Health Secretary and Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said in a written statement.

A three-dose Pfizer vaccine for children under 5 and a two-dose Moderna vaccine for children under 6 were approved. Due to state regulations, only children age 3 and up will be able to get vaccines at pharmacies. Children under 3 must visit a pediatrician or primary care physician.

Vaccines in Centre County for children under age 5

Vaccine appointments through Geisinger pediatric offices can be made at MyGeisinger online or by phone.

Mount Nittany Health expects to receive the vaccine soon and is working off a waitlist for patients under 5. Vaccine appointments are only available to current Mount Nittany Physician Group and Centre Volunteers In Medicine patients and can be made by calling 814-466-7921 or 814-355-3626.

Rite Aid locations are offering the vaccine for children ages 3-4 and appointments can be scheduled online. Local CVS locations said Tuesday they do not have a set date to when vaccines will be offered.

Centre Volunteers In Medicine, which has previously held mass vaccination events around Centre County, will not be hosting vaccine clinics for children under 5. CVIM said in February that other local pediatricians could handle the demand.