COVID-19 Vaccine
To date, two vaccines have been authorized by the FDA for emergency use to assist in the prevention of COVID-19: one for people 16 years of age and older and another for people ages 18 and over. There is no vaccine approved yet for children under age 16.
Studies are currently underway to determine the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in adolescents, but it is uncertain at this time when younger individuals will be able to receive the vaccine. We will keep ourselves up to date as data is published and start the process of protecting our younger patients as soon as we can.
The providers, nurses, and staff at Post Road Pediatrics have been lucky enough to be able to be vaccinated already. We believe in the safety and efficacy of the currently available vaccines and recommend that the patients that we care for and their family members take the opportunity to be vaccinated as it becomes available to them.
This interview with Paul Offit (renowned vaccine expert) answers a lot of questions about the process of SARS-COV2 vaccine development.
CDC links regarding the vaccine:
We expect our patient population will span several of the planned rollout phases. This will create a layer of complexity and likely cause scenarios where ceratin family members will be vaccinated prior to others due to circumstances of age and pre-existing conditions. Please trust that we will do our best to make the process as fair as possible under the constraints that the Massachusetts DPH will require of us.
There are more candidate vaccines being studied and we anticipate more will be authorized in the near future. We will continue to follow the latest updates and keep our patients and their families aware of new developments as they happen.
Studies are currently underway to determine the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in adolescents, but it is uncertain at this time when younger individuals will be able to receive the vaccine. We will keep ourselves up to date as data is published and start the process of protecting our younger patients as soon as we can.
The providers, nurses, and staff at Post Road Pediatrics have been lucky enough to be able to be vaccinated already. We believe in the safety and efficacy of the currently available vaccines and recommend that the patients that we care for and their family members take the opportunity to be vaccinated as it becomes available to them.
This interview with Paul Offit (renowned vaccine expert) answers a lot of questions about the process of SARS-COV2 vaccine development.
CDC links regarding the vaccine:
- COVID vaccine FAQ
- CDC on mRNA vaccines
- CDC - vaccine is safe for people with allergic reaction history, with some sensible precautions
We expect our patient population will span several of the planned rollout phases. This will create a layer of complexity and likely cause scenarios where ceratin family members will be vaccinated prior to others due to circumstances of age and pre-existing conditions. Please trust that we will do our best to make the process as fair as possible under the constraints that the Massachusetts DPH will require of us.
There are more candidate vaccines being studied and we anticipate more will be authorized in the near future. We will continue to follow the latest updates and keep our patients and their families aware of new developments as they happen.
Important Information for Our Patients with High Risk Conditions
That are Followed at Boston Children's Hospital
We are continuing to monitor the Massachusetts Department of Public Health criteria on vaccine prioritization. Boston Children's Hospital has informed us that they are in the process of identifying eligible patients who are in higher-risk groups so that they can be in touch quickly once they can begin vaccinating our shared patients ages 16 and older.
For our patients that have high risk conditions and are followed by specialists at Boston Children's Hospital, they have asked that you wait to hear from them regarding availability of the COVID-19 vaccine. They will reach out by email or by phone as soon as the opportunity to schedule a vaccination appointment becomes available.
We anticipate that there will be opportunities to schedule a vaccination appointment through state and local health care organizations and agencies by visiting mass.gov/vaccine. As priority groups expand, there may be opportunities to schedule your own vaccination appointment before you are contacted by Boston Children's Hospital.
To help assure that you can be contacted in the event of vaccine availability at Boston Children's Hospital, it is recommended that you have an active MyChildren's patient portal account and that your contact information (phone and email address) is up to date.
While we await opportunities for our patients to be vaccinated, we continue to stress the importance of keeping yourself and your family members safe by the safety measures that have been and continue to be recommended. Continue to wear a mask (or two!) when you are around others, stay at least 6 feet away from people outside of your household, and wash your hands often.
It may also be the case that some members of your household may be eligible for the vaccine at different times based on age, occupation, or medical history. We recommend that everyone get vaccinated as soon as they fall into a priority group that has the vaccine available to them.
As of this time, we do not know when we will have the vaccine in our office. Please do not wait for an opportunity to have the vaccine at Post Road Pediatrics if the vaccine is available at another site.
We will keep everyone updated regarding new information as it is released.
For our patients that have high risk conditions and are followed by specialists at Boston Children's Hospital, they have asked that you wait to hear from them regarding availability of the COVID-19 vaccine. They will reach out by email or by phone as soon as the opportunity to schedule a vaccination appointment becomes available.
We anticipate that there will be opportunities to schedule a vaccination appointment through state and local health care organizations and agencies by visiting mass.gov/vaccine. As priority groups expand, there may be opportunities to schedule your own vaccination appointment before you are contacted by Boston Children's Hospital.
To help assure that you can be contacted in the event of vaccine availability at Boston Children's Hospital, it is recommended that you have an active MyChildren's patient portal account and that your contact information (phone and email address) is up to date.
While we await opportunities for our patients to be vaccinated, we continue to stress the importance of keeping yourself and your family members safe by the safety measures that have been and continue to be recommended. Continue to wear a mask (or two!) when you are around others, stay at least 6 feet away from people outside of your household, and wash your hands often.
It may also be the case that some members of your household may be eligible for the vaccine at different times based on age, occupation, or medical history. We recommend that everyone get vaccinated as soon as they fall into a priority group that has the vaccine available to them.
As of this time, we do not know when we will have the vaccine in our office. Please do not wait for an opportunity to have the vaccine at Post Road Pediatrics if the vaccine is available at another site.
We will keep everyone updated regarding new information as it is released.
