CVS, Walgreens and Walmart offer appointments to vaccinate children under 12 years of age against covid-19

(CNN Español) -- following the green light from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to apply the covid-19 vaccine to children between the ages of 5 and 11, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies open appointments to apply the vaccine starting this Saturday.

With the clear path for immediate inoculation in this age group in the United States, the youngest to date receive the drug, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies have announced the opening of appointments.

"our immunizers have been preparing for this important role and are ready to help answer parents' questions, guide them and their children through the process, and administer vaccines safely, kindly and affectionately," said Troyen A. Brennan, executive vice President and medical director of CVS Health, in a statement.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Pfizer's vaccine for this younger age group and indicated that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risk to children.

In his briefing papers to the FDA, Pfizer says that his clinical trial showed that the vaccine provides 90.7% protection against symptomatic disease among this age group, with one third of the dose that people 12 years of age or older receive. The company expects the smaller dose to reduce possible side effects.

According to a report published on Monday by the American Academy of Pediatrics, children now constitute a disproportionate number of new cases of covid-19, accounting for a quarter of all new cases last week.

CVS, Walgreens and Walmart: schedule your appointment

With permission to administer a covid-19 vaccine for young children, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies announced their plans to offer the first series of doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children 5 to 11 years of age from this weekend.

"the Pfizer-BioNTech paediatric vaccine is one third of the adult dose and will be available at nearly 1,700 CVS Pharmacy locations in 46 states, Puerto Rico and Washington," said CVS.

CVS appointments will be available from Sunday, November 7 and can be scheduled via your website or via the pharmacy's mobile app.

Walgreens, for his part, said in a statement that the first shipments of vaccines would be arriving at pharmacies by the end of this week, so "parents or legal guardians can schedule appointments from today."

Appointments in Walgreens can be scheduled via their website, through the Walgreens mobile app or by calling 1-800-Walgreens, and will be available from Saturday, November 6. In addition, in order to adapt to school schedules, additional appointments will be offered on Saturdays until 20 November.

Walmart and Sam's Club pharmacies in the United States will also offer the vaccine to children aged 5 to 11 "starting later this week."

According to a press release, the supply of vaccines may be limited, so they recommend checking availability before going to the pharmacy. Appointments can be programs through the Walmart and Sam's Club website.

Parents should accompany minors, and pharmacies recommend that minors wear clothes that allow them easy access to their arms.

As with adults who have received the covid-19 vaccine, children will have to wait in the pharmacy area for about 15 minutes after receiving covid-19 injection to make sure they do not have an allergic reaction.

Any person will be able to receive the vaccine at no cost, including those who do not have health insurance or have insufficient insurance.

Jen Christensen of CNN contributed to this report.