With the holidays fast approaching, now is the perfect time to get the COVID-19 vaccine series or your booster shot. Boosters are encouraged and most of the public is eligible if you finished the Pfizer or Moderna two-shot series at least six months ago or the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago. Call Glenwood Medical Center’s COVID Vaccination Line at 320.331.2121 to request an appointment for your FIRST DOSE – OR BOOSTER SHOT if you haven’t gotten yours and are due.
Children aged 5-11 are now eligible to get a pediatric dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted emergency use authorization, followed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Panel’s unanimous approval on November 2, 2021.
Pfizer said its low-dose COVID-19 vaccine for kids, which is a third of the dosage given to adults, is more than 90% effective in preventing symptomatic infection. In clinical trials, the shots were well tolerated in young children. Side effects were mild and similar to those seen in older children and adults. The most common side effect was a sore arm. The pediatric dose is given in a two-shot series, three weeks apart.
Getting your children vaccinated against COVID-19 protects them from getting very sick. It also helps reduce disruptions to your day-to-day life, school, activities, etc., by helping curb community transmission.
Pediatric Vaccine Clinics are Scheduled
Call Glenwood Medical Center’s specific COVID Vaccination Line at 320.331.2121 and leave a message asking for a pediatric vaccination. A receptionist will call you back to schedule a specific time.
Why get vaccinated?
Vaccines in all forms help your body build up the ability to fight off a virus. A vaccine may not prevent you from getting the flu or the COVID-19 virus, but if you do get it, the vaccination will very likely keep you from becoming seriously ill. In addition, it may also prevent complications due to the illness, which may be a lifesaving benefit.
As positive cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations continue to trend upwards across Pope County and the state, it is important to get vaccinated and continue with preventative measures. The recommendation is to wear a mask properly and maintain physical distance from other people when indoors at a public place. As always, wash your hands often, and stay home if you are sick. The more people you interact with, factoring in how close you interact with them and the length of time, the higher your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. With the holidays just weeks away, everyone would like to see the positivity rate decline – and continue to decline.
COVID-19 Testing Phone Number at Glacial Ridge
If you feel ill with COVID-19 symptoms or have had exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, please call our 24-hour GRHS COVID-19 Hotline at 320.334.5481 for screening and further instructions or to schedule a test. Get tested as soon as you have symptoms and quarantine yourself from others while awaiting results. All testing is scheduled; walk-in testing (or vaccines) is not available at Glacial Ridge.
