Administering COVID-19 Vaccines in Children Ages 5 to 11 Gives Pharmacists, Technicians Opportunity to Prove Value as Immunizers

In an interview with Pharmacy Times, Anna Legreid Dopp, PharmD, CPHQ, senior director of clinical guidelines and quality improvement at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, said pharmacists and technicians have an opportunity to prove their value as immunizers now that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for use in children ages 5 to 11.

Dopp outlined the efficacy and safety data of the vaccine in this age group, as well as different considerations for vaccinating younger populations. She also pointed out that prior to the Health and Human Services authorization of pharmacists to administer vaccines in children as young as 3, many states had not authorized pharmacists as immunizers. Therefore, pharmacy staff have a great chance to prove their worth as they begin immunizing children ages 5 to 11.