Many Teens Excited For Covid Vaccine On First Day Of Expanded Rollout
Youths ages 12 to 15 lined up with their parents Thursday, eager to get their "freedom" back. Dr. Anthony Fauci also encouraged parents to get their children vaccinated.
The New York Times:
‘I Just Got My Vaccine’: U.S. Rollout Expands to Children Ages 12 to 15
Eduardo Torres, 53, was up early in Chicago on Thursday when he heard the news on the television: younger adolescents, including his 14-year-old daughter, Raquel, were now eligible for the coronavirus vaccine. It was a moment his family had been waiting for. “I told my wife, ‘I’ve got to take her to get vaccinated, immediately,’” said Mr. Torres, who pulled his daughter out of school and hurried her to a vaccination site near Wrigley Field, where Raquel became among the first children in her age group in the country to get vaccinated. (Mervosh, 5/13)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
St. Louis-Area Parents Line Up Early, Eager To Get Young Teens Vaccinated
Upon hearing the news that children ages 12 through 15 would be able to get COVID-19 vaccine shots as soon as Thursday, Kerri Alper of Chesterfield immediately booked 7:40 a.m. appointments at Mercy for her two young teens. After more than a year of not doing much outside of going to school or work, “getting the girls vaccinated is the last piece of the puzzle to safely return to more normal,” said Alper, 48. (Munz, 5/13)
Detroit Free Press:
Shot In The Arm For Teens Getting First COVID Vaccines In Detroit
Lisa Sanchez Metropoulos spent the last year in the coronavirus pandemic telling her 12-year-old son, who has asthma, no — no to sports, no to friends, no to family. "As a mom to look at him and say that every time ... it's heartbreaking," the Genesee County mother of two said Thursday. "So, when we heard the news that the (Pfizer COVID-19) vaccine would be available to kids 12 and up, I mean, I have to say, honestly, I did a little happy dance. And I had tears in my eyes." (Hall and Shamus, 5/14)
The Baltimore Sun:
Maryland Teens And Preteens Join Fight Against Pandemic As Kids 12-15 Start Getting COVID Vaccine
Over the last 15 months, 12-year-old Jonas Soriano has rounded the corner from childhood into adolescence, but mostly behind closed doors and under the cover of a face mask. The St. Paul’s School for Boys sixth-grader has watched the clock tick away, mostly at home, where he spent just about all his time outside of school. On Thursday, just after noon — moments before he rolled up his sleeve for the COVID-19 vaccine — he recalled the feeling of having to wear masks inside the house as his Reisterstown family struggled to navigate what the public health crisis meant for them. (Miller, 5/13)
CBS News:
Fauci Says "We Should Be Encouraging" Kids To Get Vaccinated, But Requiring It Is "Debatable"
Dr. Anthony Fauci is urging parents to get their kids vaccinated against COVID-19 — but stopped short of saying they should be a requirement for going back to school. "Whenever you're talking about requiring something, that's always a charged issue. So I'm not so sure we should be requiring children at all," President Biden's chief medical adviser said on "CBS This Morning" Thursday. "We should be encouraging them." (Elkind, 5/13)
In related news about vaccines for children —
The Baltimore Sun:
Novavax Begins Vaccinating Children In Trial At University Of Maryland School Of Medicine
Another COVID vaccine maker, Gaithersburg-based Novavax, has begun testing its inoculation’s effectiveness in adolescents, and the first kids ages 12-17 were injected this week at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The trial launched earlier this month nationwide. It will test the coronavirus vaccine on 3,000 kids at 75 sites and increase the likelihood that one more vaccine will soon be available for children. (Cohn, 5/13)
