Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s COVID-19 vaccine drive-thru is open to children ages 5 and older following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe and effective for children.

The CDC reported that, similar to the benefits for adults, the COVID-19 vaccine is effective at protecting children from serious illness and hospitalization from COVID-19.

Like adults, a child who is infected can transmit the coronavirus to others, even if they have mild symptoms.

More than 700 children 18 and younger have died in the United States from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Soni said 196 of those children were five to 11 years old. Although COVID-19 infection is often milder in children than adults, some children can develop severe lung infections, become very sick and require hospitalization. This is especially true of those infected by the Delta strain.

The vaccines given to children contain one-third of the dose given to adults. The vaccine requires two shots 21 days apart, and can be co-administered with other routine childhood immunizations.

The vaccine is available for children 5 and older by appointment only at Cedars-Sinai, 8700 Beverly Blvd. To schedule an appointment, call (855)427-5465, or visit mycslink.org and myturn.ca.gov.