Sonoma County has opened up vaccines for children under 5. Here’s what you need to know.

Sonoma County began administering COVID-19 vaccines to children under 5 on Tuesday, bringing sighs of relief to some parents, and shrugs from others.

“In a lot of ways it doesn’t change everyday life,” said Stacey Gallagher, a Santa Rosa parent of a 20-month-old. “Some of the same precautions are still there … But it just allows us to feel more comfortable. In the choices that we’re making, we have a bit of extra protection.”

The expanded rollout comes four days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 6 months to 4 years old, and the Moderna vaccine for children aged 6 months to 5 years old. The Pfizer vaccine is administered as a three-dose regimen, with the first two shots three weeks apart and a third at least 8 weeks later. Each dose is 10% of an adult dose. Moderna’s vaccine, two shots administered four weeks apart, is 25% of its adult dose.

“We really haven’t felt comfortable going anywhere until now,” said Santa Rosa resident Karen Gardner, parent of a 3- and 5-year-old. She said she will “definitely” be vaccinating her 3-year-old now that he is eligible. And she’s looking forward to slowly bringing back more pre-pandemic activities, like visiting the indoor part of the county Children’s Museum.

The county’s initial allocation of vaccines for newly eligible children was about 3,200 doses, half Pfizer and half Moderna. County communications specialist Matt Brown said the county places orders weekly, and will buy more if the initial allocation runs out.

With this latest rollout, about 21,000 young children in Sonoma County are newly eligible to be vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup approved this age group for vaccination on June 18.

Gardner, the parent of two young kids, said her 3-year-old is actually excited for his shot. “We talk about it as a positive thing,” she said. After her 5-year-old received his first dose, her younger son wanted to be included, too.

Parents looking to vaccinate their children have several options. They can book appointments at local clinics online at myturn.ca.gov or visit the free vaccination clinic at the Roseland Community Center in Santa Rosa later this week without an appointment.

For residents without health insurance, federally-qualified health centers are providing vaccines throughout the county, including at the Petaluma, Sonoma Valley, West County, and Santa Rosa Community health centers. For parents and guardians with health insurance, “we are encouraging them to reach out to their pediatrician” to book an appointment, Brown said.

More information and a map of clinics offering vaccines for anyone over 6 months can be found on the county’s website.

Although the rollout was set to begin Tuesday, it might take a while longer to get most shots into arms. The Roseland Community Center was scheduled to begin offering the new vaccines on Tuesday, but Gallagher, the mother of the 20-month-old, said she called the clinic Tuesday morning and was told doses wouldn’t be available until Thursday. Fox Home Health, the Roseland provider, was scheduled to pick up its shipment from the county by noon Tuesday, but it may take some time before they actually start administering shots, Brown said.

Gallagher was able to schedule an appointment through her child’s pediatrician, but it’s not for a few weeks. She said she’s keeping an eye out for earlier appointments, but for now she’s mostly just glad her son is eligible to be vaccinated.

“Children are dying,” she said. “There’s not a lot of them, but I don’t know that my son is not going to be that one.”

Although many Sonoma County parents, like Gallagher and Gardner, are eager to get their kids vaccinated, some parents are still unsure. “They are the last population group to not have this protection,” Brown said. “For those parents who are still on the fence, it’s a great opportunity to talk to your pediatrician.”

Santa Rosa CityBus and Sonoma County Transit are offering free rides to and from vaccine appointments. Riders must show proof of appointment to ride for free.

You can reach Staff Writer Elena Neale-Sacks at elena.neale-sacks@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @elenaneale17.