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By Catharine Richert, Minnesota Public Radio News

Anxious parents across Minnesota got welcome news this week about the state’s plan to vaccinate children 5 to 11 years old against COVID-19, a move that could come as early as Nov. 4 after federal officials fully approve the Pfizer vaccine for kids.

There are about 500,000 kids in that age group, which has seen a lot of COVID cases recently. Experts say that vaccinating these younger kids will not only protect them from the virus, but also blunt its spread.

Here’s what we know so far about the state’s plans.

When will the shots be available?

Pfizer’s vaccine cleared a big hurdle Tuesday when it got a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel’s approval. Next week, it heads to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory panel for approval, and then on to the CDC director for the final green light.

Assuming this timeline holds, providers in Minnesota say they could be ready to put shots in arms as early as Nov. 4.

How many vaccines will be available right away?

More than 1,100 providers like doctors and pharmacies will be able to provide those doses shortly after the CDC signs off on this plan, as expected.

Right out of the gate, Minnesota will have 255,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine available — that’s enough for about half this population. So, this won’t be a mad rush to find a vaccine like it was last spring.

Where will kids be able to get vaccinated?

Unlike the first wave of the vaccination campaign that focused on adults and teens, expect to see fewer large-scale vaccination sites.

First, this segment of the population is smaller, and there should be plenty of options for parents to get their kids signed up for a shot — even, potentially, at school.

The feeling is that this group needs a little more time and a little more coddling, which may require getting vaccinated in a familiar setting like the doctor’s office.

Another thing: Parents may need to be with their kids to provide consent when they get shots, depending on where they get them and who administers them.

What does the data say?

The data Pfizer presented to the FDA shows that these vaccines are not only overwhelmingly safe for kids, they’re also highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death from the virus, and also symptoms in general.

Is this vaccine different than the ones that have been given to teenagers and adults?

In some ways, yes. Smaller people get smaller doses.

These vials will also have orange caps to distinguish them from flu shots and COVID boosters that are being given right now.

Some things are exactly the same.

Kids will need two doses of the Pfizer shot, three weeks apart. And they won’t be considered fully immunized until two weeks after their second dose, so families anxious to have their kids fully vaccinated by the holidays should plan accordingly.

What about side effects?

Clinical trials show that some children may experience mild side effects from the Pfizer vaccine, including sore legs or arms and some fatigue.

In general, kids don’t typically get severely ill, hospitalized or die from the virus. So why vaccinate kids?

Mayo Clinic pediatric infectious disease Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse said there are other risks to kids who contract COVID like multisystem inflammatory syndrome, as well as the impact of long COVID, which turns up in kids, too.

She also said that kids do get hospitalized for this virus.

“It is relatively uncommon for children to end up in ICU or to die from COVID-19. But from having spoken to parents and children who have ended up in the ICU, I can say rare doesn’t really feel rare when it’s your own child sitting in that ICU bed,” she said.

Health experts say the other big benefit is that vaccinating kids effectively shrinks the virus’s ecosystem: COVID is less likely to be transmitted, and with fewer opportunities to transmit, there are fewer opportunities for it to mutate into something more contagious and dangerous.

Are the other vaccines also available for kids?

Moderna also is studying its vaccine in young children. Moderna said that a low dose of its COVID vaccine is safe and appears to work in 6- to 11-year-olds.

What about vaccines for children under 5?

Pfizer has additional studies underway in those younger than 5.

My kids hate shots. Any tips for preparing them?

Cub Foods pharmacy director Aaron Sapp said parents shouldn’t spring the shots on their kids at the last minute.

“Whereas an adult you’re in and out rather quickly, as a child, we will give them 15-20 minutes just to come in and relax a little bit and get their vaccination,” Sapp said. “You just have to plan a little differently.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.