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Free COVID-19 vaccine clinic for kids in Uptown Wednesday

Mecklenburg County health officials said over 9,400 children have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Credit: AP Photo/Ted S. Warren
Leo Hahn, 11, gets the first shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. Last week, U.S. health officials gave the final signoff to Pfizer's kid-size COVID-19 shot, a milestone that opened a major expansion of the nation's vaccination campaign to children as young as 5.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County health officials are holding a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for everyone 5 years and older at the Transportation Center in Uptown Charlotte Wednesday. 

The clinic runs from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. Health officials will provide the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines, as well as boosters for eligible patients. All vaccinations are free of charge. 

Mecklenburg County said that over 9,400 doses have been given to kids ages 5 to 11 so far. Here's how those doses have been distributed: 

  • White: 59.4%
  • Black: 12.5%
  • Asian: 9.2%
  • Hispanic: 7.6%

Health Director Gibbie Harris said some pediatrician offices have chosen not to keep the vaccine on hand, saying it's difficult to store it and the complicated state system for tracking doses. 

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North Carolina health officials said children need to receive their first dose of the vaccine by this Friday, Nov. 19 so they can be fully vaccinated by Christmas. A person isn't considered "fully vaccinated" until two weeks after their final dose.  

“It’s an opportunity for us to protect the entire family not only from being sick but also from potentially spreading the virus when we have those family get-togethers,” Chris Dobbins with StarMed Healthcare said.

  

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