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The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is available for all children ages 5 to 11 in Oregon.
The vaccine was approved after review by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup. You can read more about the findings on the safety and effectiveness on the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) website.
The Oregon Health Authority encourages parents and caregivers to talk with their child’s doctor or pharmacist to get their questions answered.
Updating policy to incorporate parent and Tribal voice
Current ODHS Child Welfare Division procedure requires that children in foster care be vaccinated with all CDC recommended vaccines. This includes the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Child Welfare Division believes that whenever foster care is necessary, that reunification should always be the goal. We are committed to maintaining children’s connections to their families, cultures, communities and Tribal Nations.
We believe that decisions about vaccinations of children in foster care need to be made after meaningful conversation and engagement with the child’s family and/or Tribal partners (when applicable). Therefore, we are revising our current vaccination and immunization procedure to further clarify this direction. These revisions will require that parents and Tribal partners (when applicable) must be in conversations and decision-making prior to scheduling a vaccination for a child in foster care.
Resources on the COVID-19 vaccine for children 5-11 years old
For any case specific questions, please contact your certifier.
Thank you for your continued compassion and resilience during this time. Take care of yourselves.
Rebecca Jones Gaston (she/her), Child Welfare Director
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