Atrium Health Navicent Physicians Encourage COVID-19 Boosters for Children 12 and Up

Physicians at Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital are encouraging parents and guardians to schedule COVID-19 booster shots for eligible children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 5 and older. Booster shots are additionally recommended for children aged 12 and older who have received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine five months after the second dose is administered.

COVID-19 cases in children can result in hospitalizations, death, long-term complications such as long-COVID and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a rare, but serious condition associated with COVID-19 and other viral infections in which different body parts – such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes or gastrointestinal organs – become inflamed.

“The Pfizer-BioNTech booster offers a valuable tool in the fight to keep our community’s children healthy and in school. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said Dr. Edward Clark, medical director for Atrium Health Navicent Beverly Knight Olson Children’s Hospital. “We all must do our part to protect children — including those under 5 years of age for which no COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized — by practicing COVID-safe behaviors such as handwashing, social distancing and masking, while also becoming vaccinated against this deadly virus.”

COVID-19 vaccines for children aged 5 and up are available by appointment at:

· Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care West Macon, 3780 Eisenhower Parkway, Macon

· Atrium Health Navicent Children’s Care Downtown Macon, in their new location at 1014 Forsyth Street, Suite 100, Macon

"We know vaccines work. Please give your child the best protection they can have by allowing them to have the booster,” said Dr. Yameika Head, director of Clinical Practice – Pediatrics for Atrium Health Navicent Medical Group. “Numbers are rising. We must make sure our children are protected."

Physicians at Atrium Health Navicent continue to urge that older children and adults become vaccinated as well. First and second vaccine doses, and booster shots also are available at Atrium Health Navicent Primary Care West Macon and Atrium Health Navicent Children’s Care Downtown Macon.

To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, or booster appointment, visit COVIDSafeGa.org. Vaccine availability is allocated and managed by the state. A parent or guardian must accompany minors to all vaccine appointments.

Vaccinated individuals and those waiting to be vaccinated are encouraged to continue to practice COVID-safe behaviors including wearing a mask in public, social distancing and frequent handwashing.

Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of healthcare in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and well-being through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.