‘It goes quickly.’ Young children roll up their sleeves for vaccines in Contra Costa

What 9-year-old Ashbey Asuncion expected most after being vaccinated against COVID-19 was going out without wearing a mask and teaching her younger brother how to cartwheels.

She and her brother, Avery, 6, received their first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday at a clinic at Nystrom Elementary School in Richmond, one of the first Contra Costa Health Services clinics open to children ages 5 to 11. Health Services has partnered with various health care providers to offer free vaccination clinics in schools and communities across the county over the coming weeks.

The health services administered 77 vaccines to Nystrom, including 61 to primary school children. It hosted two more clinics in elementary schools in San Pablo on Tuesday: distributing 52 vaccines in Highland and 60 in Tara Hills.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began recommend Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, after the Federal Drug Administration provided emergency clearance.

The county health services and education office provided parents with information about the pediatric vaccine and held town hall sessions to address concerns, according to the county’s deputy health director Dr Sefanit Mekuria. Most questions asked by Mekuria parents are studying on the effects of the vaccine on children.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out there, so we want to make sure people get the right sources,” Mekuria said.

In Nystrom, four vaccination posts were set up and at 3 p.m. a line of children and parents were waiting. Disney songs playing in the background and cookies awaited the children who bravely rolled up their sleeves. Some children would cry and curl up on their parents’ knees to avoid looking at the needles. Most were holding the hand of a relative.

After Ashbey and Avery got vaccinated, they went to the recovery room, a classroom where children were watched for any allergic reactions. As she folded up her napkin with the cookie finished, Ashbey said she was delighted the shooting was over.

“It doesn’t really hurt,” she said.

Sarah Asuncion, their mother, clung to Avery while he was being shot. Asuncion’s two children attend Prospect Sierra School in El Cerrito, but Sarah Asuncion said she and her husband struggled to find immunization appointments and the Nystrom clinic was the most convenient. Another advantage of going to the school clinic was that your children felt more comfortable there.

“I think it’s good to have all the little kids in one place so they can see other kids doing it,” said Sarah Asuncion.

It helped 12-year-old Kahreem Harris watch a classmate get the shot before him. Nervous at first, he relaxed after seeing the jab on his arm.

“Oh, it’s going fast,” Kahreem said. “I can end this. “

Kahreem was at the clinic with her grandmother, Beverly Russel, who was already vaccinated. Protecting his health is a big concern for Russel, who is 65 and often visits his 92-year-old mother. The health risks from COVID-19 are higher for people over 50, according to the CDC. She said she didn’t have to convince her grandson to get the vaccine.

“He wants to get it. He’s old enough to listen to the news and whatever he hears, and then he has to protect me a bit too, because he lives with me, ”said Russel.

After the shot, Kahreem said his arm stung him a bit but not a lot. He wanted the other kids to know that it didn’t hurt and that they shouldn’t be afraid of having it.

Older children in the West Contra Costa Unified School District should be vaccinated before the end of the month. The the school board succeeded the mandate on September 30, requiring vaccines for children 12 years and older. Hours after the vote, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that a statewide mandate would come into effect after a pediatric vaccine received full FDA approval, which the office said. Newsom, probably won’t be until July.

Throughout October, Health Services partnered with WCCUSD to set up mobile vaccination clinics in middle and high schools in the district. As of this week, nearly 90% of county children between the ages of 12 and 15 have received an injection, according to to the County Vaccine Dashboard. Only about 1% of young children have been vaccinated, and that number is increasing as more clinics come online.

The locations, dates and times of the clinics are displayed County COVID-19 website.