Hawaii children ages 5 to 11 will be able to get their COVID-19 vaccinations as soon as today following Tuesday’s formal endorsement of the Pfizer shot for kids by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In response, the state Department of Health announced it was authorizing certified vaccination providers in Hawaii to administer the vaccine immediately.

“The CDC reviewed the clinical data and determined the vaccine is safe,” Health Director Dr. Elizabeth Char declared in a release. “The Pfizer vaccine is effective in preventing severe illness and death. The vaccine will provide another important layer of protection in keeping our children and the entire community safe.”

Even before the state made its announcement, Hawaii Pacific Health said it would open its online appointment system for parents and legal guardians to start scheduling appointments for children ages 5-11 at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, Straub Medical Center and Wilcox Medical Center on Kauai.

The vaccine, the company said, would be available by appointment only starting today for children ages 5-11.

The Pfizer dose for children is one-third of the adult dose and administered with a smaller needle. It requires an initial shot followed by a second one three weeks later.

State officials said shipments of the state’s initial order of 41,700 vaccine doses for children began arriving Monday, and vaccination providers would have permission to start administering them as soon as deliveries arrive and clinics are set up.

The keiki vaccinations are expected to be available at more than 200 locations statewide including medical facilities, community health centers, mobile clinics, pharmacies, pediatrician’s offices and more than 130 public, private and charter schools.

Kaiser Permanente said it would start administering the shots for children 5-11 on Friday at all of its vaccination sites.

The Queen’s Health Systems said it plans to start booking appointments for the 5-11 age group starting Thursday. Appointments will start Friday at all Queen’s vaccination clinics, including its mobile clinics.

Health officials estimate there are 119,473 children age 5-11 living in Hawaii, which amounts to roughly 8.4% of the state’s population.

The state’s initial order of vaccine for children is enough to provide 35% of the estimated population with the first of the two recommended vaccinations, officials said.

Officials said information on where children’s vaccines are available will be updated regularly at hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine. Parents and legal guardians are required to submit signed consent forms before anyone 17 or younger can be vaccinated.

State officials said some schools will begin administering the COVID-19 vaccinations as soon as Monday, with a majority of them closed to the general public. Parents should contact their child’s school to see whether and when their school will offer vaccinations.

Interim schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi said Monday that he would expect the school vaccination sites to work similarly to the vaccination clinics already held at schools for children 12 and older.

The DOE already has conducted more than 150 school-based vaccination clinics for students, staff and household members.

Hayashi said the school clinics would be closed to the public for the safety of the elementary-age children. He said the clinics might accommodate immediate family members of students.

“Safety is very important,” he said.

In Hawaii the state has seen relatively few COVID-19 cases with serious illnesses in children, according to officials.

But while children who contract the coronavirus generally don’t get as ill as seniors, they are still at risk of falling ill and developing long-term symptoms, medical experts say.

As of Thursday nearly 6.4 million children have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Association.

With CDC approval, some 28 million American youngsters age 5 to 11 are now eligible for the keiki dose, which is said to offer the same powerful protection against the virus that adults and older children are getting from their vaccines.

Pfizer’s study of 2,268 youngsters found that its reduced-size shot is close to 91% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19.

The American Academy of Pediatrics on Tuesday applauded the CDC’s action in approving what it called “a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5-11.”

“Pediatricians are eager to participate in the immunization process and talk with families about this vaccine,” AAP President Lee Savio-­Beers said in a statement.

While the U.S., like Hawaii, has experienced a recent drop in COVID-19 cases, experts are worried about another surge with holiday travel and other factors linked to colder weather. Experts are hopeful this newly vaccinated population segment will help the U.S. better cope with another uptick in cases.