Norton Healthcare preparing to give newest COVID-19 booster shot to kids

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Norton Healthcare is preparing to start giving children the newest COVID-19 booster shot.

Parents can make appointments starting Monday for kids — ages 5 to 11 — to get the Pfizer bivalent booster shot.

The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on the vaccine earlier this month. Doctors said it targets widespread strains of the virus like the omicron variant.

"Kids who are vaccinated tend to have lower hospitalization rates and are less likely to have severe consequences of COVID," said Dr. Kristina Bryant, the director of system pediatric epidemiology and infectious diseases for Norton Children's. "We know that there are children who have died of COVID. Kids who were vaccinated are less likely to develop long COVID and they're less likely to develop complications like multi-system inflammatory syndrome."

To schedule your child's shot, click here.