BENNINGTON, Vt. — Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) has scheduled two COVID-19 vaccination clinics for ages 5 – 11 from 1 – 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6 at their COVID Resource Center at 982 Mansion Drive in Bennington. 

 

The clinics are only for children. Children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Scheduled appointments are preferred, and a limited supply will be available for walk-ins. Families should go to https://vermont.force.com/events/s/selfregistration to make an appointment.

 

"I highly recommend that every eligible person get vaccinated," said Trey Dobson, SVMC's Chief Medical Officer. "And I am delighted that eligibility has widened to include people who are ages 5 – 11."

 

The supply of vaccine available during this first allocation is limited through the state of Vermont and federal government. A small number of doses are reserved for walk-ins. An additional allocation is expected to be available to patients starting Wednesday, Nov. 17.

 

"The risk is real, and getting sick is never good for someone's immune system," said Dobson. "COVID-19 cases in children can result in hospitalizations, deaths, MIS-C (inflammatory syndromes), and long-term complications, such as 'long COVID,' in which symptoms can linger for months. COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective."  

 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the vaccine for the 5 – 11 age group on Friday, Oct. 29. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided their approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine for ages 5 – 11 on Tuesday, Nov. 2. The state's online scheduling system opened at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3.