Health Department issues guidance on vaccines for young children

The Missouri Department of Health and Human Services yesterday approved the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old.

While the Springfield-Greene County Health Department is not currently offering vaccinations for children under 5 years old, the agency in a news release encouraged parents to speak to pediatricians.

"We thank the parents in our community who have patiently awaited this approval so their children can be better protected against COVID-19," Health Department officials said in the release.

The Missouri decision comes after emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, a two-shot series given four weeks apart, is for children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, according to the release. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is a three-shot series for children between 6 months and 4 years old. The first two doses are administered three weeks apart, followed by a third dose eight weeks later.

The Health Department's COVID-19 dashboard shows a rolling seven-day average case count of 73.9. Nearly 53% of the eligible population in Greene County is fully vaccinated.