Dr. Brent Tamamoto of Aiea Pediatrics has kept a list of parents who have been waiting in anticipation for months for a COVID-19 vaccine for their keiki under age 5.

On Monday, Dr. Tamamoto’s office began contacting the list of about 30 patients to schedule appointments for the Pfizer vaccine, which he hopes to begin administering as soon as Thursday.

Appointments are now being taken at various locations in Hawaii following federal clearance of the COVID-19 vaccines for infants as young as 6 months old, as well as toddlers and pre-schoolers up to age 5.

The Hawaii Department of Health authorized the COVID-19 vaccines for keiki under age 5 on Saturday based on recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the vaccines for emergency use on Friday.

DOH is expecting a delivery of 27,500 doses of the keiki vaccines — both Pfizer and Moderna — in the coming week, which will be distributed to hospitals, pediatricians’ offices and clinics on all islands.

Tamamoto said he absolutely recommends parents get the vaccines for younger pediatric patients, particularly with outbreaks he has seen occurring this summer.

“I would tell them that this is the best possible protection that they could give to their children,” said Tamamoto. “I can certainly understand hesitancy and concern, but you need to understand, we’re taking a risk either way, and we’re making a decision for the health and well-being of our keiki, either way. To choose not to get a vaccine that’s proven to be extremely safe and extremely effective at preventing hospitalization and severe illness is clearly the wrong choice, in my opinion.”

Hawaii Pacific Health will begin offering Pfizer’s three-dose COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years old at vaccination clinics on Oahu and Kauai, starting Saturday.

Parents can make online appointments at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, for slots between 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday. Slots for Kauai Medical Center will also be available from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Additionally, a pop-up vaccination clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 9 and 10 at Kapolei High School.

Appointments will be required for the keiki vaccines, which include primary vaccines and boosters for children ages 5 to 11, HPH said. The consent process for children ages 6 months to 11 years old to receive a COVID-19 vaccination begins with online registration.

Children of this age group also must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian with a photo ID at check-in.

“We are really pleased that this day is finally here, that we are able to open appointments for kids under the age of 5 to receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. Melinda Ashton, HPH executive vice president and chief quality officer. “Some of the children who have been hospitalized with COVID-19 in Hawaii have been quite sick. And although the disease is often not as serious for children, some are experiencing long COVID-19 and little is known about the long-term effects.”

She recommends vaccinations even for children who have already been infected, saying that based on data from all other age groups, the best protection is a combination of vaccine immunity and immunity from being exposed.

The vaccines also will be available at some pharmacies and community health centers, which can receive them directly from manufacturers.

CVS Health said it will begin offering Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines to eligible children ages 18 months to age 4 at 1,100 Minute Clinic locations nationwide starting Tuesday.

Appointments will become available at MinuteClinic.com on a rolling basis as various locations receive supply of vaccines. The MinuteClinics are available inside of Longs Drugs stores in Hawaii.

Walgreens said in a news release that it is providing Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to children ages 3 and older at select locations nationwide. Parents and legal guardians can schedule an appointment as early as Saturday.

Although some parents have been waiting for — and some have been pushing for — COVID vaccine availability for infants and younger children, studies have shown not all are going to be rushing to do so.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, only 1 in 5 parents of children under 5 intend to get their child vaccinated right away. Another 38% say they would “wait and see” how it works for other children, and another 27% say they will definitely not get their child vaccinated.

DOH has rolled out a Q&A video at bit.ly/3zNFgUM with Hawaii pediatricians answering questions about the COVID vaccines for youngest keiki that address hesitancy and concerns. More are due out in coming weeks.

“I’ve heard people say that kids don’t get sick with COVID or they don’t get sick enough that it’s worth vaccinating them against COVID and I have to tell them I’m on the front lines,” said Dr. Monica Singer, a pediatrician at Kapiolani Medical Center, in the video. “I’m taking care of all the kids coming in with COVID and I’m admitting children who are very sick and parents who are very upset their child is sick with this infection.”

The goal is for the kids to have the antibodies to fight off the coronavirus, and if they do get it, that they get the mildest and shortest version possible, said Dr. Nadine Tenn Salle, The Queen’s Health Systems’ chief of pediatrics.

According to CDC data, a total of 291 children up to age 17 in Hawaii were admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 from Aug. 1, 2020, to June 18 of this year.

Tim Brown, epidemiologist at East-West Center in Manoa, warned against underestimating the impact that COVID-19 has on children during a “Spotlight Hawaii” conversation on Monday.

Many compare the rates of COVID-19 in children to rates of COVID-19 in adults, especially older adults, he said, when they should be compared to rates of other illnesses that occur in children, such as rubella or chicken pox.

Nationally, more than 2 million children under 5 have been infected with COVID-19, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, with hospitalizations for the age group spiking at the height of the omicron wave this past winter, about a quarter of them in intensive care.

More than 400 young children have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, AAP said. CDC ranks COVID-19 as the fifth-leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 4 years old.

“Every child death is to be avoided,” said Brown. “Children are not expected to die, especially in a country with a health care system as advanced as that of the United States.”

Vaccines are really important for protecting children against severe illness and if there is one to prevent it, we should be using it, he said.

Tamamoto, of Aiea, said for parents that are still on the fence, he would say, “without a doubt, getting the vaccine is much, much safer than catching COVID.”

In clinical trials for both vaccines for younger children, Yale Medicine said there were no cases of myocarditis or pericarditis, conditions that involve inflammation of the heart muscle and surrounding tissue.

Both AAP and the American Medical Association recommend the COVID-19 vaccines for children as young as 6 months old.

WHERE TO GET VACCINES FOR KIDS UNDER 5

Hawaii Pacific Health

>> Kapiolani Medical Center, 1319 Punahou St., check in at Diamond Head Tower lobby, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

>> Kauai Medical Clinic, Lihue, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday.

>> Kapolei High School, 91-5007 Kapolei Parkway, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, July 9 and Sunday, July 10.

>> Schedule the vaccinations at HawaiiPacificHealth.org/COVID19Vaccine (for Oahu) and WilcoxHealth.org/Vaccine (for Kauai).

>> Check with your pediatrician’s office.

CVS

>> CVS MinuteClinics will begin offering vaccines for keiki 18 months to 4 at MinuteClinic locations starting Tuesday as locations receive supply. Visit MinuteClinic.com to schedule.

Walgreen’s

>> Walgreen’s will offer Pfizer and Moderna for children ages 3 and older at select locations; Appointments available starting Saturday at walgreens.com/schedulevaccine or 1-800-Walgreens.

AVAILABILITY

>> Vaccine availability will also be listed at Hawaii Department of Health’s website, hawaiicovid19.com.

What to know

>> Moderna vaccine, authorized as two doses four weeks apart for children ages 6 months to 5 years old. Each dose is 25 micrograms, which is one-fourth the adult Moderna dose.

>> Pfizer vaccine is for children ages 6 months to 4 years old. Authorized as a three-dose series, with the first two doses three weeks apart, and the third dose given at least eight weeks later. Each dose is 3 micrograms, one-tenth the adult Pfizer dose.