Columbus Regional Health will reopen a standalone mass COVID-19 vaccination site near the hospital campus as officials prepare for booster shots and expanded eligibility for younger children.
Hospital officials said Monday they expect the clinic, located at 1702 Keller Ave., to reopen in October, likely for a couple days a week, but did not provide a specific opening date.
At least 41,430 doses of vaccines were administered at the clinic — enough to fully vaccinate 20,715 people — from mid-December to late July, CRH officials said previously.
The clinic closed its doors at the end of July as demand for vaccines declined and vaccination efforts were shifted to doctor’s offices.
“Even though we are still awaiting official word and guidance from the state, with booster shots and this anticipated expanded pediatric population, CRH is planning to reopen the Keller Avenue clinic in October,” said CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue.
The announcement that the clinic would reopen came the same day that pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said its vaccine is safe and effective in children as young as 5 and just days after a government advisory panel recommended booster shots for Americans age 65 and up.
Additionally, federal vaccine mandates, including one that employers with more than 100 workers require employees to be vaccinated or be tested for the virus weekly, could increase local demand for vaccines if the measures clear legal challenges. However, those measures are expected to face legal challenges.
On Monday, Pfizer said its COVID-19 vaccine works for children ages 5 to 11 and that it will seek U.S. authorization for this age group soon — a key step toward beginning vaccinations for youngsters, The Associated Press reported.
The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech already is available for anyone 12 and older. But with kids now back in school and the extra-contagious delta variant causing a huge jump in pediatric infections, some parents are anxiously awaiting vaccinations for their younger children.
For elementary school-aged kids, Pfizer tested a much lower dose — a third of the amount that’s in each shot given now, according to wire reports. Yet after their second dose, children ages 5 to 11 developed coronavirus-fighting antibody levels just as strong as teenagers and young adults getting the regular-strength shots, Dr. Bill Gruber, a Pfizer senior vice president, told The Associated Press.
The kid dosage also proved safe, with similar or fewer temporary side effects — such as sore arms, fever or achiness — that teens experience, he said.
On Friday, a government advisory panel endorsed booster shots for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease, including health workers and others who run a high risk of being exposed to the virus on the job, according to the AP.
The nonbinding recommendation — from an influential committee of outside experts who advise the Food and Drug Administration — is not the last word. The FDA will consider the group’s advice and make its own decision, probably within days, according to wire reports. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to weigh in this week.
Currently, it is unclear how much demand there would be for booster shots in Bartholomew County.
But if current vaccination records are any indication, local health officials could see a sudden swell in demand.
So far, 11,527 Bartholomew County residents age 65 and up were fully vaccinated as of Monday morning, or about 83% of the total population of that age group in the county, according to CDC and U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
However, vaccination rates remain lower among children so far, with about 41% of children in Bartholomew County ages 12 to 17 fully vaccinated, according to the latest CDC figures available as of Monday afternoon.
Last week, CRH officials said that they had started preparing the standalone clinic to reopen in case it was needed.
“We’re a little bit in the dark, but we know it’s possible (that boosters will be recommended),” said Dr. Slade Crowder, CRH vice president of physician enterprise operations and associate chief medical officer. “So we’ve begun steps to prepare to have the Keller vaccine clinic open.”
Currently, COVID-19 vaccines are available at CRH physicians’ offices and PromptMed locations, as well as the Bartholomew County Health Department, among other locations. Vaccination sites can be found on the state’s web portal ourshot.in.gov.
“Once the 5 to 11 age group has been officially approved, we’ll be prepared to move forward with that population as well,” DeClue said.
