To expand capacity to give COVID-19 vaccines to patients ages 5-11, Sansum Clinic held an all-day, first-come-first served, by-appointment clinic Nov. 17 at its Pediatrics Department, 51 Hitchcock Way, Santa Barbara. Nurses, medical assistants and pediatricians primarily focused on administering the Pfizer vaccine to 338 patients.

“Vaccinating this group of children is an important step in the fight against COVID-19,” said Dr. Saida Hamdani, Sansum Clinic pediatrician. “While we are not the only place in town vaccinating children of this age, we felt strongly about playing a part in the local effort to vaccinate a large number of youth before the holiday season begins.”

All of Sansum Clinic’s eight pediatric providers have been speaking to families to answer questions and explain the science behind the approval of COVID-19 vaccines for children. Children in this age group are still required to receive two doses three weeks apart, in order to be considered fully vaccinated.

“The research has shown that these vaccines are safe and effective at preventing COVID-19 in children of this age group,” said Sansum Clinic pediatrician Dr. Jerold Black. “We are hopeful that our ability to vaccinate these younger patients gets us closer to herd immunity.”

Dr. Hamdani was recently voted “Best In Santa Barbara” for the Best Pediatrician category in the Santa Barbara Independent, followed by runner up Dr. Black.  

While eligible children who are patients of Sansum Clinic can still receive the Pfizer vaccine during regular visits to the Pediatrics Department, the recent clinic helped to quickly immunize a large group of children in one day. Nearly 28 million children in the U.S. became eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine with the FDA’s and CDC’s emergency authorization.

With many children back in classrooms and participating in activities, COVID-19 vaccination in this age range protects children from getting ill and potentially spreading infection to others. Since the start of the pandemic, Sansum Clinic has provided 800 COVID-19 vaccines to children, and 27,500 COVID-19 vaccines to adults over 18.

As of Nov. 16, 61.3% of Santa Barbara County residents were fully vaccinated and 71.9 % of those eligible to receive vaccine (age 5 and up) were vaccinated.

Pediatrics patients coming to Sansum Clinic for a COVID-19 vaccine need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian, and a consent form is required. Families can schedule their child for a COVID-19 vaccine through MyChart, or by calling 805-563-6211. In addition, local pharmacies are administering vaccines for children. A list can be found here, or visit COVID19.SansumClinic.org.