The U.S. Centers for Disease Control gave the green light Tuesday for the Pfizer COVID-19 pediatric vaccine to be administered to kids ages 5 to 11.
State medical and public health leaders are urging parents to get their kids vaccinated as soon as possible.
Elizabeth Hertel is the director of the state health department.
She says more than 280 thousand doses have begun to arrive in the state.
"We would encourage people to call their providers or their local pharmacies to make an appointment. You can also go to vaccinefinder.org to identify a location near you to be able to make an appointment for your children."
Clinical trials have shown the vaccine to be nearly 91 percent effective at preventing symptomatic disease in kids 5 to 11.