BOSTON (WHDH) - Boston Children’s Hospital announced Tuesday that they are taking COVID-19 vaccine appointments for kids ages 12 years and older.
This comes after the Food and Drug Administration gave Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorization for adolescents 12 to 15 years old.
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The official sign-off on the vaccine’s use in this age group will not occur until at least Wednesday, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee meets.
People can register for the Boston Children’s Hospital patient portal to self-schedule an appointment.
In the meantime, other states have already begun vaccinating children as young as 12.
Fourteen-year-old Cameron Carrion got his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine in Atlanta on Tuesday.
“I feel like it’s better than I got it because I can go outside and do more rather than just stay at home and do nothing,” he said.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says that it is important that children get vaccinated.
“I am encouraging all parents to get their children vaccinated,” she said. “Some parents won’t want to be first, but I am also encouraging children to ask for the vaccine.”
There are about 17 million 12 to 15 year olds in the United States.
Dr. William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, says that vaccinating that age group “will spread the protection through yet another large section of population.”
While the Bay State waits on the CDC’s decision on expanding Pfizer’s vaccine eligibility, Gov. Charlie Baker spoke with President Biden about ways to get younger people vaccinated.
“I think the walk-up stuff will be a really big deal in terms of making sure we create other opportunities for people, especially for younger people,” he said. “I’ve got three kids in their 20s. I know very well how they feel about appointment scheduling.”
Baker added that he is also working with schools and pediatricians to see what other options there may be to get more people vaccinated.
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