Pediatricians gear up to give kids COVID shots

Children between the ages of 5 and 11 may soon be eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Gov. Hochul told pediatricians Tuesday to get ready to administer COVID vaccines to younger patients.

Many pediatricians say they are still figuring out how they will roll out the vaccines. Some are encouraging parents to be patient.

Dr. Sheela Graney from Shaker Pediatrics believes Hochul’s announcement was made prematurely. She says they haven’t received the COVID-19 vaccines just yet, and they don’t know how many doses they’ll get for the different age groups.

Graney also says Shaker Pediatrics has been inundated with phone calls. Schoolhouse Road Pediatrics in Guilderland tells NewsChannel 13 the same thing about phone calls at their practice.

Dr. James Saperstone from Community Care Pediatrics of Guilderland says they haven’t received the vaccines either. He says once the vaccine is approved, they will most likely have clinics. They say they have received a lot of phone calls from parents.

"We just have to wait for the logistics of rolling out the vaccine, the refrigeration, all of the paperwork and the administrative stuff, but we’re excited," said Saperstone.

He says he is expecting to receive more phone calls in the next few weeks. He did say if parents have questions, they can give his office a call.

Learn how many unvaccinated people opening the shots up to this age group could potentially cover, by watching the video of Jonathan Hunter’s story.