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Health departments, pharmacies, pediatricians offering COVID-19 vaccines to children 5 and older

Vaccines are free even for those who don't have health insurance and regardless of immigration status.

Posted Updated

By
Maggie Brown
, WRAL multiplatform producer

It's official: Children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible to receive Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccinations began Wednesday after a committee voted Tuesday to recommend emergency use authorization of the lower-dosage vaccine.

Vaccines are free even for those who don't have health insurance and regardless of immigration status.

Wake County Public Health announced Wednesday that parents can go online and make appointments for their children ages 5 to 11 at these locations:
  • Human Services Center at Departure Drive off Departure Drive in Raleigh
  • Wake County Eastern Regional Center off Dogwood Drive in Zebulon
  • Wake County Northern Regional Center off East Holding Avenue in Wake Forest
  • Wake County Public Health Center off Sunnybrook Road in Raleigh
  • Wake County Southern Regional Center off North Judd Parkway in Fuquay-Varina

The health department will be hosting a vaccine clinic on Friday at the county Health Center on 1235 Ramsey Street in Fayetteville from 5 to 7 p.m.

Vaccination clinics for all ages will be held on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at:

  • Headquarters Library on 300 Maiden Lane in Fayetteville
  • Cliffdale Regional Branch Library on 6882 Cliffdale Road in Fayetteville

Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines will all be available at those locations.

Residents in Johnston County will be able to start vaccinating children 5 and up as soon as Thursday. The county's first vaccination clinic will be held Thursday at 9 a.m.

Next week, child vaccines will be offered from Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Tuesdays until 6 p.m. at the Johnston County Health Department off Brightleaf Boulevard in Smithfield.

No appointment is necessary and health officials said they welcome walk-ups.

Durham County Public Health Department has not yet announced when coronavirus vaccinations would be available for children 5 and up.

Walgreens and CVS were both accepting appointments for children ages 5 to 11 via online sign-up. The process takes less than 10 minutes. As of Wednesday, Walmart and Rite Aid were not yet offering appointments for children.

Demand for the child vaccines is expected high, and parents may not be able to schedule same-day appointments. Some parents found that appointments at Walgreens and CVS were not available until Saturday and Sunday.

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