COVID-19 vaccine clinics for young children planned

Health care providers in Washington County and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, have announced plans to begin offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 6 months old.

On Monday in Washington County, Meritus Health will offer the vaccine for children 6 months through 4 years old between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. at Meritus After Hours Pediatrics at 186 Eastern Boulevard, according to a news release from Meritus.

The vaccines for the age group will also be offered at the location during the same times on July 11, 18, and 25, according to the release.

Appointments for the vaccines are required. To schedule an appointment, send an email to covid.vaccine@meritushealth.com, and include the following information:

• Name, date of birth and address of the child• Name, date of birth and address of parent or legal guardian• Contact phone number for parent

The Washington County Health Department plans to start offering vaccines to the age group in early July, department spokeswoman Joelle Butler said Friday.

In Pennsylvania, WellSpan Health began scheduling appointments on Friday to administer the Pfizer vaccine to children 6 months old to 5 years old, according to a news release from the health care provider.

Parents or guardians of children in the age group will be able to schedule appointments to receive the vaccine at WellSpan Family Medicine practices in Franklin County, according to the release and a WellSpan spokesman. Children ages 5 to 11 are also able to receive the Pfizer vaccine at these locations. It is not necessary to be a WellSpan Health patient.

Parents or guardians are currently able to schedule their children for an appointment by using MyWellSpan or by calling a hotline at 855-851-3641. Parents can also schedule an appointment at WellSpan.org/COVID19. Walk-in appointments will not be available at this time.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: COVID-19 vaccine for children as young as 6 months available locally