Some Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital high-risk teens can now get the COVID-19 vaccine
Certain teen patients at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital are the newest to get clearance for the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Tuesday, Memorial Healthcare System announced it is expanding COVID-19 vaccinations to certain high-risk 16- and 17-year-old patients at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
Currently, the hospital is limiting vaccines to seniors 65 and older, who are Florida residents or seasonal residents, and Memorial patients between 18 and 64, who are Florida residents or seasonal residents and meet the CDC criteria for being at increased risk of severe illness from the virus.
“We wanted to include all the vulnerable patients that we could,” said Ron Ford, chief medical officer for Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
The teens must be a Florida resident or seasonal resident. They must also have visited JDCH or a Memorial Healthcare System-operated medical facility in the last year, or have completed a JDCH physician office in-person or telehealth visit.
There are 1,727 children who qualify, Ford said.
Because of current FDA guidelines, they are only able to administer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to children ages 16 and 17. Ford said he is hoping that the rules will be expanded as more data from trials on children becomes available.
“We are limited right now, but we are optimistic,” Ford said. Since the pandemic began, the hospital has treated 140 children with COVID and 62 children for MIS-C or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children.
Only certain high-risk medical conditions will qualify for the vaccine. This newest eligibility group must have one of the following:
▪ Asthma
▪ Cancer
▪ Chronic kidney disease
▪ COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
▪ Congestive heart failure
▪ Coronary Artery Disease
▪ Cystic Fibrosis
▪ Down Syndrome
▪ Heart Transplant
▪ HIV
▪ Hypertension
▪ Kidney Transplant
▪ Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2)
▪ Sickle cell disease
▪ Thalassemia
▪ Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus
When vaccine appointments are made available for the teens, their caregiver or the teen will use their MyChart account to schedule one. JDCH has instructions on how to use MyChart on its website.
While the hospital recommends MyChart, appointments can also be made by calling 954-276-4340 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information on teen vaccine administration, vist JDCH’s website.
On Monday, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital began allowing vaccine appointments for Florida teens and young adults ages 16 to 21 who are being treated for certain high-risk medical conditions.
This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 6:39 PM.
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