SANTA FE - The New Mexico Department of Health and Public Education Department announced today that children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. This follows federal approvals by both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). A dose of Pfizer for children 5-11 contains one-third the amount of active ingredient compared to the adult dose. Children would receive a second dose 21 days or more after their first shot. Available data shows that all COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized in the United States continue to be highly effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, including against the current Delta variant. “Our children continue to be vulnerable without a vaccination. We encourage parents to schedule appointments with their medical provider or via vaccineNM.org - so kids can go back to being kids,” said DOH Deputy Secretary Dr. Laura Parajon. "This is great news for New Mexico public schools, where the spread of COVID-19 continues to be a real concern," Public Education Secretary (Designate) Kurt Steinhaus said. "This means our elementary school students can now be protected from the dangers of COVID-19 just as their older siblings, parents, grandparents and teachers are already. We welcome these safe vaccines and urge parents to get them into children's arms as quickly as possible to keep young children healthy and to avoid further community spread." New Mexicans are encouraged to schedule their primary and booster shots with their primary care physicians. They can also do so through the statewide vaccine COVID-19 vaccine registration system vaccineNM.org. Parents can visit vaccinenm.org/kids to add dependents to their existing vaccine scheduling profile. New Mexicans without access to the internet can call 1-855-600-3453 for scheduling assistance. Pediatric Pfizer shipments are arriving in New Mexico in three waves between Nov. 1 and Nov. 10, and some providers have not yet received their shipments. As a result, appointments for children 5-11 may not yet be available. DOH encourages New Mexicans to be patient, and to check back over the next week or two if an appointment is not yet available. Background On Tuesday, Nov. 2, the federal Centers for Disease Control signed off on the use of Pfizer vaccine for 5-11-year-olds. The vaccines - ⅓ the adult dose - are safe and highly effective at preventing serious COVID complications and death. In addition, side effects are milder than in older children. DOH encourages parents and guardians of children in this age group to schedule their children’s vaccinations through their primary health care provider or via vaccineNM.org/kids. The CDC estimates that every 10 vaccinations in the 5-11 age group can prevent a COVID case in the same age group. | 
