St. Claire HealthCare taking appointments for Pfizer vaccine for ages 12-and-up

MOREHEAD, Ky. (WTVQ) – St. Claire HealthCare in Morehead received its first allocation of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as the FDA expanded the emergency use to include children from 12-to-15 years of age.

Shots could begin soon once a federal vaccine panel issues recommendations for using the vaccine in 12-to-15-year-olds.  The panel is scheduled to meet on Wednesday of this week.

“We knew the Pfizer vaccine would increase our effectiveness in the fight against COVID by allowing us to vaccinate 16 and 17-year-olds, but today’s FDA announcement made it a complete a game-changer for our efforts to make the community safe again,” said Will Melahn, MD, SCH Chief Medical Officer/VP for Medical Affairs.

To date, St. Claire HealthCare has administered at least one dose of the Moderna vaccine to more than 11,000 patients, which have only been available for people 18-and-older.

“We’ve learned a lot about the coronavirus over the past year, but there’s still no way to know how severely this virus will affect you or the ones you love, so don’t take any unnecessary chances,” Melahn added. “If you haven’t been vaccinated yet, don’t wait any longer.”

Appointments for the Pfizer vaccine are now being accepted for people 12-and-up by calling 606-783-7539.