Tulsa Health Department Receives Doses Of Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine

Tuesday, parents are now able to sign their kids up for the COVID-19 vaccine through the Tulsa Health Department. 

The Tulsa Health Department just got its first shipment of thousands of doses of the shot but parents have mixed reactions about signing up. 

One parent said her kids will not be getting the shot, and some other parents said they are going to wait a little longer. 

Tulsa Health Department said they have thousands of doses ready to go. "People can come in and get any of those vaccines that they are needing and additionally those covid vaccines can be given at the same time as the flu vaccine or any other childhood immunization," said Ellen Niemitalo.

Ellen Niemitalo is Tulsa's Health Department Clinic Manager and said there are currently 16 Oklahoma kids that are in the hospital with COVID-19 and she believes this vaccine will prevent more from ending up in the hospital. 

"Really up to 10 percent of the hospitalizations in the last few weeks have been among pediatric patients. So although COVID disease normally does not affect the children as much as it does adults. It still can affect children," said Niemitalo.

She said this dose for kids is a third of what adults get. 

"That size dose produced really significant immunity and was 90 percent effective preventing infection and serious hospitalizations from COVID.," said Niemitalo.  

After getting the first dose parents will schedule the second dose. For more information about how to schedule an appointment, CLICK HERE.