Sanford Health now offering COVID-19 vaccines to children 6 months and older

Jun. 28—BEMIDJI — Sanford Health will begin administering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to children who are 6 months to 4 years old starting on Tuesday, June 28, following the vaccine's endorsement for the age group by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We are incredibly excited as most of our youngest patients will now have the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to aid in their protection from the virus," said Dr. Colleen Swank, a pediatrician and clinic vice president of Sanford Health in Bemidji.

The director of the CDC endorsed the vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years old on June 18, following a vote by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, giving federal approval for the final age group to be vaccinated.

"Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine has proven to be safe and effective in reducing the risk of hospitalization and death in children," Swank said. "It's a long-awaited milestone for this age group."

The vaccine for children between these ages will be given in a three-dose series. The first two shots are administered three to eight weeks apart, and the third is given at least eight weeks after the second dose.

Parents and guardians can begin scheduling their children to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at Sanford Health primary care locations. Appointments are preferred and can be made through

My Sanford Chart

or by calling your preferred Sanford Health clinic.

"Today we celebrate the opportunity for everyone 6 months and older to receive a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine," Swank said. "The vaccine will continue to be the safest and most effective tool to fight this virus and the inevitable variants along with it."

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