NCDHHS to Host Livestream Fireside Chat and Tele-Town Hall on COVID-19 Vaccines for Children Ages 5–11 on Nov. 9

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live fireside chat and tele-town hall on Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. to discuss the safety and effectiveness of the recently approved Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5–11. 

​NCDHHS Secretary Mandy K. Cohen, M.D, will host the event and will be joined by pediatrician Rasheeda Monroe, M.D. Dr. Monroe currently serves as the Medical Director of Primary Care Pediatrics at WakeMed. She is also the Raleigh area Campus Director of the UNC School of Medicine and the Director to the Kenan Urban Scholars program at the UNC School of Medicine.  

Molly Grantham — WBTV news anchor, author, speaker and mom of three children — will moderate the conversation.  

The fireside chat will livestream from both the NCDHHS and WBTV social media accounts and will also include a tele-town hall feature. Households will be invited by phone to listen in and submit questions to help ensure everyone interested can participate. People can also dial into the event by calling (855)-756-7520 Ext.76807#. 

This event comes as the FDA recently authorized and the CDC now recommends a lower-dose Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5–11. Children are vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus just like everyone else, and the vaccine provides a safe, tested way to help keep them healthy. 

To date, more than 69% of teens between the ages of 12 and 17, and 71% of adults, have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Watch the livestreams on NCDHHS social media platforms: Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. 
NCDHHS fireside chats and tele-town halls are part of the state’s ongoing public engagement to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure equitable access to timely information, resources and COVID-19 vaccines.