Children under 5 begin receiving covid-19 vaccines in Western Pa.

Children younger than 5 are beginning to receive covid-19 vaccinations in Western Pennsylvania, offering a long-awaited shot of relief for some parents while others say it’s too soon for them to know whether it’s safe for their kids to get vaccinated.

While shots have been widely available for older patients, it wasn’t until Friday that the Food and Drug Administration approved the first Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for children 6 months to 5 years old. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the vaccines the next day, and state health officials said Saturday that providers across Pennsylvania were prepared to begin inoculating infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

Rosemary and Milo Cui were the first children younger than 5 to get the vaccine at UPMC. Their mother, Katie Gavinski, said she was eager to get her 2-and-a-half-year-old twins vaccinated.

Gavinski said it felt like a “miracle” to have a vaccine that protects her kids from a virus that has kept them from a normal life for much of their young lives.

“It’s kind of sad they know they need to wear a mask to go outside. This is part of our transition to getting back to normal,” Gavinski said. “We hyped it up. We’ve been excited for this all day.”

Children vaccinated at the UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics site in Squirrel Hill on Thursday received Moderna shots, said Dr. David Wolfson, medical director of Children’s Community Pediatrics. They get a smaller dose than older patients and will return for a second dose in four weeks.

Pfizer also has a three-shot series for that age group.

“I’m just so excited to get him his vaccination today and protect him from covid,” Anna Ahn of Mt. Washington said after her 1-year-old son, Theo Seebruck, received his first dose.

Thanks to the vaccine, she said, she’ll finally feel comfortable putting Theo on a plane next month to travel to meet family.

“I feel a bit more reassured now that he has a vaccination on board,” she said, adding she still plans to take precautions.

As a medical professional, Ahn was among the first to be eligible for a covid-19 vaccine — she received hers while pregnant with her son. And she was eager to get her child vaccinated as soon as it was possible.

“I 100% recommend getting your kids vaccinated,” she said.

Bo Lebow of Squirrel Hill said she brought her 2-year-old daughter, Aviva Slayton, to get vaccinated “to do our part” in ending a pandemic that has upended much of her daughter’s young life.

Wolfson said his office has been fielding lots of calls from parents anxious to get their young children vaccinated.

“To be honest with you, parents have had to carry the burden of worry for years,” he said.

Wolfson said he is most often asked by parents whether the shots are safe and effective, and he says they are. He said the Pfizer and Moderna shots are both good choices.

Kids can experience the same side effects from the shots as adults, but they typically clear up within a day or so, he said.

“It seems to us that children seem to handle it a little better than adults do,” Wolfson said.

UPMC will host a vaccine clinic for children 6 months through 5 years old from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood. Parents and guardians can schedule appointments for the clinic online, and they must be present when their children are administered a vaccine.

Allegheny Health Network also began administering the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines Thursday.

“The availability of a vaccine for children 6 months and older is another important milestone in the ongoing fight against covid-19,” said Dr. Joseph Aracri, a pediatrician and chairman of the AHN Pediatric Institute. “We are strongly encouraging parents and guardians to get their younger children vaccinated and protected against serious illness from the disease.”

Elsewhere in Western Pennsylvania, Palmer Pharmacy in West Deer received supplies of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines Wednesday, owner and pharmacist Kaitlyn Sullivan said.

Sullivan said the pharmacy plans to start administering shots for children 3 and older July 6. Appointments will be available between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.

As a pharmacist, Sullivan said Pennsylvania law prohibits her from giving shots to children younger than 3. She said the pharmacy is working to set up a clinic with a pediatrician for younger children.

Sullivan said she has seen plenty of interest in the vaccine from parents, with a preference for the two-dose Moderna vaccine.

Town & Country Pharmacy in New Kensington won’t be offering vaccines for young children, pharmacist Nicolas Roperti said. He said he believes many parents will choose to take their children to pediatricians to be vaccinated rather than to pharmacists.

Community Health Clinic in New Kensington also will not be getting the vaccine. Tammy Lee Thomas, outreach and enrollment assistant, said the pharmacy received little interest in the vaccine for children 6 to 11. The clinic had only three clients in that age range, and the vaccines come in batches of 50, she said.

“You can’t waste it,” she said. “It’s too valuable.”

Thomas said the clinic will refer parents elsewhere until they see demand for it. If they see a need for it, they will get it, she said.

Giant Eagle is expecting to receive shipments of both vaccines and make appointments for children available in the coming days, spokesman Dick Roberts said.

Parents interested in scheduling appointments for children 3 and older can visit gianteagle.com/covid and select “vaccine information” to search for appointments once they are available, Roberts said.

Candace Vacha of Hempfield said she wants to see more child-specific information regarding the vaccine’s safety before making a final decision on whether to get her two children, 15 months and 3, immunized against the coronavirus.

“I’m still kind of waiting for some more data to come out,” she said.

Vacha, who is vaccinated, pointed to longer-term data related to vaccines for adults that don’t seem to exist for children.

She said the decision can be tough for parents.

“You always want to do what’s best for your kiddos,” she said.

Pharmacist Ed Christofano has about 50 children younger than 5 on a waiting list to receive the pediatric covid vaccine whenever Hayden’s Pharmacy receives the doses.

“I’m still waiting for the shipment to come in,” he said. “Our company wanted to make sure that people had access to it if they choose and desire to get it.”

Hayden’s Pharmacy has locations in Youngwood, Donegal and Mt. Pleasant. When the pediatric vaccines are received, they will be administered at clinics specifically for children, he said.

Christofano said the shipment could arrive within the next two weeks. Once it does, the pharmacy’s website — haydenspharmacy.com — will be updated and allow for appointments to be made. There are about 16,000 children in Westmoreland County who are 5 and younger, according to census data.