Proud to Administer Our First Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine to Children Ages 6 Months to 5 Years

Montefiore Einstein administered the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to infants and children under 5 on June 21 — the first day it was available to that age group. This expansion is a critical step in the continued effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

“We’ve been waiting for young children to have access to the vaccine for a long time,” said Suzette O. Oyeku, MD, MPH, Chief, Academic General Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, and Professor, Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “We’re thrilled about the recent approvals so they can now have the same protection as older children, teens and adults.”

Around 17 million children aged 6 months to 5 years in the United States became eligible for the lifesaving vaccine following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s expanded emergency-use authorization for the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

“Now we can get our youngest patients, and often the most vulnerable patients, vaccinated…I couldn’t recommend it more highly,” said Lauren Roth, MD, Pediatrician, Montefiore Medical Group – Comprehensive Family Care Center, and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

To find a location near you and schedule an appointment for your child, visit the Montefiore Einstein COVID-19 vaccination website.