The Pfizer vaccine will be available to children ages 5 to 11-years-old in Pecos County beginning on Thursday, Nov. 11.

Parents and guardians wanting to get their child vaccinated in that age range can schedule an appointment with the Family Care Center at Pecos County Memorial Hospital by calling 432-336-2291.

Appointment times available for children from ages 5-11 will be on Thursdays from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For individuals 12-years-old and older, Friday’s will be the designated day to schedule an appointment.

PCMH CEO Betsy Briscoe said that the decision to make the vaccine available to children between 5-11-years-old comes after the CDC’s recommendation, which was released on Nov. 2.

“CDC is recommending it and that’s what we were waiting for,” Briscoe said.

The PCMH CEO added that the dose of the vaccine for children between the ages of 5-11 will be less than the vaccine dose for people 12 or older.

One aspect of the shot that will stay the same for children ages 5-11 is the days between the first and second dose. The recommended time period between shots is three to four weeks.

As of Nov. 9, there were 18 kids between the ages of 5-11 that were signed up to get their first Pfizer shot.

Availability to youth alters vaccination rate

With the Pfizer vaccine now becoming available to the youth, children between the ages of 5-11 were added to the vaccination rates in the county.

According to state data, there are 1,538 kids that reside in Pecos County that are between 5-11-years-old.

The numbers shifted the percent of fully people in the county, who are vaccine eligible, from 64.9% to 58.2%. People who have received one shot doses dropped from 74.2% to 66.5%.

Booster shot numbers were not affected by the availability of the shot to children ages 5-11 due to the fact that only individuals 18-years-old or older can get a booster shot.

As of Nov. 8, there were 1,325 Pecos County residents that received booster shot (9%). The number is a 106-person increase from data shown on Nov. 3.