(WXYZ) – Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 could be available as early as this week. Now the challenge is to put the clichés in the arms of hundreds of thousands of kids here in Michigan.

Michigan’s new chief medical officer said the campaign to vaccinate Michigan’s children will begin soon, and the rollout of the vaccine for children will not look like their parents’ vaccination effort.

For Coretta Kemp, a COVID-19 vaccine for children cannot come soon enough to protect her grandson, Derek.

“I lost my father and I almost lost my mother too. So, yes, that certainly plays a role. I myself have been vaccinated. So I will definitely get him vaccinated,” she said. declared.

Kemp, plans to have Derek vaccinated at the pediatrician’s office. These trusted suppliers will be a key part of the vaccine rollout, according to Michigan Chief Medical Officer Dr Natasha Bagdasarian.

“What we’ve heard is that many parents prefer to see their trusted pediatrician. So we work closely with pediatrician offices,” Bagdasarian said.

The state has allocated more than 287,000 pediatric doses of COVID-19, based on population, and 85% of “children’s vaccines” providers are already registered to receive injections of COVID-19 in little arms.

“So as soon as it is approved, as soon as it has an emergency clearance, these doses will enter the state and go directly to the suppliers,” she said.

We won’t see mass vaccination sites like we saw Ford Field and TCF Center, but the state is reaching out to schools and teen clinics. The state said it would also use existing testing sites at local churches and community centers, provide vaccines at local events and other frequently visited locations.

“What we would like to do is make sure that no one has to wait, no one has to look for vaccine doses. Make them available where they would like to have their children vaccinated,” said Bagdasarian.

Children 11 and under are the largest group of completely unvaccinated people in America. As the chief medical officer of state, Bagdasarian says immunizing children is an essential step in tackling the virus, stopping school epidemics, and protecting immunocompromised children and adults.

“Both for the protection of the individual and from a community perspective, immunization of children is really important,” she said.

But despite the millions of people who have already been vaccinated, some parents will be reluctant. Devin Calloway remembers the side effects of his COVID-19 vaccine.

“I had the Pfizer, and after the first shot I felt nauseous and weak for at least two days. And that’s not what I want for them right now,” he said.

“For parents who are feeling uncomfortable and on the fence, I think it’s really worth having these conversations with a trusted health counselor,” Bagdasarian said.

Bagdasarian says physician vaccination rates are high here in Michigan and across the country.

Many doctors are enthusiastic about vaccinating their own children. She hopes this will send a signal to families across the state that the vaccine is safe and effective in protecting against serious illness and death.

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