(BIVN) – COVID-19 vaccines for keiki under the age of five will soon be available in Hawaiʻi.

The State Department of Health on Saturday said it “is excited to announce long awaited” COVID-19 vaccines for children, and said it is authorizing enrolled COVID-19 vaccination providers to administer the vaccines as soon as they become available.

From the Hawaiʻi DOH:

DOH is expecting delivery of 27,500 doses of the new keiki vaccines in the coming week. The vaccines will be distributed to hospitals, pediatricians’ offices, and clinics. Pharmacies and community health centers will receive additional vaccine shipments directly from the manufacturers. Vaccines for keiki under five will be available on all islands.

“Vaccines continue to offer our best protection against COVID-19 and now keiki as young as six-months old can benefit from that same protection. Parents with questions about COVID-19 vaccines are encouraged to ask their healthcare providers for guidance,” said Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char, FACEP.

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended use of the vaccines from both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for these keiki vaccines earlier in the week.

Vaccination locations will be listed on the vaccine page at hawaiicovid19.com once vaccines arrive.

The new Pfizer vaccine is specially made for children six-months through four years of age and will be administered in a three-shot series. There should be three weeks between the first and second shots. The third shot is to be given at least two months after the second shot. Each dose is one-tenth the dose of the Pfizer vaccine given to adults.

The new Moderna vaccine is for children six-months through five years of age and will be administered in a two-shot series. The second shot is to be given at least four weeks after the first shot. Each dose is a quarter of the Moderna dose given to adults.

Although the officially reported case counts on Big Island appear to be trending downward week-over-week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently placed Hawaiʻi County at a “High” COVID-19 Community Level.

The CDC is recommending:

• Wear a mask indoors in public
• Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
• Get tested if you have symptoms
• Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness