LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Doctors at Arkansas Children's Hospital want parents to make sure their kids are fully vaccinated by Christmas, and time is running out.
Pfizer is the only vaccine approved for kids, and the timeline for "maximum protection" is quite specific.
"Right now, we're at this magic time where that means five weeks from now is Christmas. Five weeks from now they could be protected. That's the best gift any of us could have is to be able to be safe and be with our families again," Dr. Jessica Snowden, Division Chief of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Arkansas Children's, said.
The first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine are administered three weeks apart, with maximum protection coming two weeks after the second dose, according to Snowden.
If a child gets their first dose on Friday, November 19, they will receive their second shot on Friday, December 10. They will reach maximum protection on Christmas Eve, December 24.
"I want them all to be able to go back to having a normal holiday season, and this is a really important way to do that," Snowden said. "I think one of the important things for us to consider is that the best way to end the COVID-19 pandemic is for all of us to be vaccinated because then we're not going to be sick, we're not going to be spreading it.
Arkansas Children's Hospital is administering the vaccine for people ages 5-11. Appointments can be made online or by calling 501-214-8736.
Click here to view the Arkansas Department of Health's vaccine location map.