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COVID booster shots now available for children ages 5-11

“The booster doses are safe. There are no more side effects. It boosts your immunity including to the Omicron strain, which is remarkable." - Dr. John Bradley.

SAN DIEGO — Nurses at Rady Children's Hospital say more than 100 appointments for COVID booster shots have been made since Tuesday, May 24th. By Wednesday, another 60 appointments were made.

"Just a little pinch," said 10-year-old Chaparral Elementary School student Lucas Weeks after getting his shot Wednesday at Rady Children’s Hospital.

"We're really happy it's available so he can stay protected and have plans for the summer and end the school year on a high note," said Lucas' mother, Amy Weeks. 

Dr. John Bradley is the Medical Director of Infectious Diseases at Rady Children's. Bradley says studies on over 10,000 children have shown the booster is safe. 

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“The booster doses are safe. There are no more side effects. It boosts your immunity including to the Omicron strain which is remarkable," said Dr. Bradley.

He recommends that children get a booster shot five months after their first COVID vaccine. 

"There are children with underlying diseases who can still get very sick from COVID. If they are infected they can spread it. It's spreading it that we want to prevent," said Dr. Bradley.

Meanwhile, 10-year-old Lucas has some advice for other children. 

"If you just relax, it's going to hurt a lot less than if you tense up and are scared the whole time," said Lucas.

"The more of us that are vaccinated, the better for everyone. Less virus in the community means that we can do more things that we love doing," said Amy.

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Appointments are now available at Rady Children's.

The FDA is now looking into whether the vaccines are safe for infants and toddlers from 6-months-old to 4-years-old. FDA officials will meet on June 15th to discuss the data from vaccine makers Moderna and Pfizer. 

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