"We wanted to hit the floor running.' Pediatrician prepares for approval of COVID-19 vaccine for children under 12

While most doctors said they're waiting for approval to give the vaccine, Chapel Hill Pediatrics is not waiting to sign people up.

"We had parents, for the last month, calling us up and wanting to know when we can give 5- to 11-year-olds the vaccine," said Mary Sheppard, practice manager for Chapel Hill Pediatrics.

As the calls continued, Chapel Hill Pediatrics said they decided to start scheduling children under 12 for the vaccine starting in October.

“We went ahead and opened a date and time to see what the volume is going to be and with the intent that we may have to move this back," explained Sheppard.

Sheppard said the office may have to move the schedule back because the FDA hasn't approved the vaccine for children under 12 years old yet.

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"We wanted to hit the floor running," said Sheppard. "The minute the CDC approves it, we will hit the ground. We will use the Durham office [since] we have plenty of room and plenty of staff. We can give out 24 [shots] in an hour."

Other pediatricians in the area said they will wait before making appointments for children under 12.

"We haven't started making appointments yet, only because scheduling vaccines is a tricky thing when they are not available," said Dr. Lori Langdon, a pediatrician in Harnett County. "I don't want to be inefficient about using a slot or my front office staff to make an appointment and not be able to keep them."

Langdon said she's already giving the vaccine to children ages 12 and up.

Once the vaccine is approved for younger children, Langdon said her office will be ready.

"We are thrilled because this can help school-age children be so much safe and slow the transmission of coronavirus," said Langdon.

Earlier this week, Pfizer reported new information from its clinical trial in children ages 5 to 11, saying that the shot is safe and generated a robust immune response.