First COVID-19 shots administered to Corridor children aged 5-11 years

With the first COVID-19 shot received, Ellen Pannell said she’s most excited about the bragging rights.

“I’ll pretty much be the first kid in my class to even get the first one, and the first one on the street that’s under 12,” Ellen said.

The eight-year-old from Iowa City was among the first children in the Corridor to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine after federal health officials approved the Pfizer-BioNTech for children ages five to 11 years old.

Following the go-ahead from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Tuesday evening, pediatrics clinics, pharmacies and other vaccine providers across the state began administering the first shots of the two-dose vaccine to young Iowans.

Ellen was among a handful of appointments Wednesday evening at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital pediatrics clinic in Cedar Rapids.

The choice to vaccinate her children against the coronavirus was an easy one for Ellen’s mother, Jessica Pannell.

“I trust the scientists and I trust the CDC,” said Jessica Pannell, 44, of Iowa City. “I understand with every medical procedure there can be a rare chance of complications.

“I know that about all vaccinations, but the risks to the community outweigh the very minute risks that she could face getting vaccinated.”

To local health officials, the new phase of the vaccine distribution plan marked “a monumental day” in the effort to control community transmission of the coronavirus.

“Vaccinating this age range checks a lot of boxes for us to help protect the kids, their families, the community and to maintain the integrity of all of our systems that help support our communities, too,” University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Chief Pharmacy Officer Mike Brownlee said. “So I’m pretty excited — and I think a lot of us are — to have a safe and effective vaccine for kids that are in this age range.”

Early vaccination appointments booked within hours

Many of the vaccinations happening over the next week or so will be among those early adopters who are eager to immunize their children against COVID-19, UIHC’s Brownlee said.

UIHC opened more than 1,500 vaccine appointment times for children aged five to 11 years old on Wednesday morning and they were filled within an hour and a half, Brownlee said.

Over the next week, UIHC will administer shots to about 200 children a day on weekday evenings and about 350 children on Saturday at its Iowa River Landing location. Appointments also are being offered at the Cedar Rapids pediatric clinic locations.

By next Thursday, UIHC will transition to offering the vaccine during normal clinic hours. Brownlee said they opted to forgo the evening large-scale clinics because officials expect the demand to taper off after about a week.

“We did (large clinics) for the 12 and up age group, and after about a week the interest level and the patient volume really tailed off,” he said.

UIHC will offer a vaccine clinics for the second dose, he said.

Among the first parents in line to vaccinate their children at the UIHC clinic were health care workers, Brownlee said.

“They want their families their homes to be protected,” he said. “They want their kids to be protected. They want to be able to come in to work and help patients.”

UIHC officials plan to open more vaccine appointments at other locations, including in North Liberty and its facility on Scott Boulevard, in the coming days.

Appointments at other providers

Other vaccine providers have begun offering appointments this week, but on a limited basis. The Hy-Vee retail chain announced the vaccine would be offered to children five to 11 years old at select pharmacies “due to a limited supply” this week.

Appointments can be scheduled online at hy-vee.com/covidvaccine.

Other local health care providers will open up appointment slots later this week.

The Mercy Vaccine Clinic, at 5264 Council St. NE, Cedar Rapids, will start giving shots to children on Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Online scheduling is open for appointments Monday through Friday at mercycare.org/covidvaccine.

Patients at Mercy Pediatric Clinic also can begin scheduling appointments on Friday by calling the office at 319-861-7900.

All UnityPoint Clinic family medicine and pediatric offices will offer COVID-19 vaccines to children ages five to 11 “in the coming days,” officials said. Parents and guardians will be notified by email and through the MyUnityPoint system when appointments are available.

'A huge relief’

For some families, vaccinating children are an important step to protecting themselves and others from serious illness and hospitalization.

Lindsay Jasper, of Marion, said both she and her husband have an autoimmune disorder that puts them at risk from a COVID-19 infection. Their daughter, six-year-old Hadley Jasper, received her first COVID-19 shot Wednesday evening at the UI pediatrics clinic in Cedar Rapids.

“Now that we’re vaccinated, it’s giving us more freedom, more comfort to be able to go out and do things,” said Jasper, 38.

To Hadley, getting the shot meant she could help “keep everybody safe,” she said. But she’s also excited to reach a time where she doesn’t have to wear a mask.

Lindsay Jasper said vaccinating her daughter also meant she was protected from a COVID-19 infection as she continues going to school in-person and participating in dance classes and other activities.

“I just want her to be protected as soon as possible,” she said. “We’ve been waiting for this. As soon as I found out appointments were available (Wednesday) morning, I wanted to get her in.”

To kids such as Ellen Pannell, whose everyday lives have been upended for more than a year and a half, the vaccines are a step closer to things returning to normal. She’s looking forward to going to sleepovers again and visiting her grandparents.

“It feels worse to think about (the shot) than to actually get it,” Ellen said.

Jessica Pannell said its “a huge relief” to be able to vaccinate all her children. Her 14-year-old son was fully vaccinated when he became eligible, making Ellen the last member of the household to get the shot.

“I just think the pandemic is really scary for kids,” Pannell said. “I’ve had to talk to my kids about things that I never thought I would have to about people dying.

“But at the same time, it’s been a really good opportunity to teach our kids about their responsibility.”

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