Not Waiting For CDC, Some States Start Vaccinating Youths As Young As 12

CNN: Americans As Young As 12 Begin To Get Vaccinated Against Covid-19 After FDA's Authorization 
Some vaccine sites began to inoculate 12-to-15-year-olds against Covid-19 on Tuesday morning, a day after the US Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer's vaccine for the age group. Jacob Laney, 14, was in line at a Decatur, Georgia, vaccine site early Tuesday in hopes of getting the vaccine. "My friend got Covid and it looked really bad, and I just did not want to get it," he told CNN. Once he gets both doses of Pfizer's two-dose vaccine, "I think I'll be less scared of getting it and less scared of having issues with Covid-19," he said. (Holcombe, Levenson and Valencia, 5/12)

Bangor Daily News: Janet Mills Says Maine Providers Can Now Administer Pfizer Vaccine To Children As Young As 12
Gov. Janet Mills said Monday night that Maine providers can now administer Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to children as young as 12. That comes immediately on the heels of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision to authorize the vaccine for use for 12- to 15-year-olds. The race to vaccinate them will begin as soon a federal advisory commission releases guidelines as early as Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. “I encourage parents to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible to protect their health, to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our state, and to help us get back to normal sooner,” Mills said. (Burns, 5/11)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Governor Clears Kids 12-Up To Get Vaccine
Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Tuesday that Arkansans age 12-15 had been cleared to receive coronavirus vaccine, although he acknowledged that many health care providers would likely wait until later in the week to begin immunizing that age group. "This is an important news announcement so that parents can make plans to vaccinate their 12 through 15-year-old" in addition to those 16 and older who became eligible for the shots earlier, Hutchinson said. (Davis and Herzog, 5/12)

Los Angeles Times: COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments For Californians 12-15 Could Begin Thursday
COVID-19 vaccine appointments for Californians ages 12 to 15 could become available as soon as Thursday. If everything goes to plan, California’s MyTurn site will begin making appointments available on Thursday morning, state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said. The timing for when other vaccine providers will begin to offer appointments will vary. (Lin II, 5/11)

The Oregonian: When Can Oregonians Ages 12 To 15 Get COVID-19 Vaccine Shots? 
The Oregon Health Authority first must give the green light for 12- to 15-year-olds to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, health officials said -- after the federal government receives additional approvals. Officials in Oregon plan to make an announcement when COVID-19 immunizations of this group can begin. The Oregon Convention Center, Portland International Airport and Hillsboro Stadium are expected to serve as options for the new wave of Oregonians -- ages 12 to 15 -- when they become eligible for Pfizer vaccinations as early as this week. (5/11)

In related news —

AP: Dr. Walensky Encourages Youth To Ask For Vaccine
The director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is “encouraging children to ask for the vaccine” after regulators on Monday expanded the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12. “I would encourage all parents to get their children vaccinated,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky during a Senate hearing on Tuesday. “I have a 16 year old myself and I can tell you he wanted to get the vaccine. He wants his life back. These kids want to go back to school. They want to go back to the things they love.” (5/11)

CNN: This Is How Officials Are Trying To Rally Teens To Get Covid-19 Vaccinations
With a new demographic now eligible for Covid-19 vaccines, public health officials hoping to fight variants will have to adjust their strategy to convince 12 to 15-year-olds and their parents to sign up for inoculations. "Here we have to speak not only to the patient, the adolescent, but also their parents and guardians to make the case simultaneously to both," Dr. Nirav Shah, president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said Tuesday. "It's just an added nuance, it's not any more difficult, it's just something we've got to think through and get right." (Holcombe, 5/12)

The Washington Post: With Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Authorized For Adolescents, Some Parents Scramble To Make Appointments While Others Are Wary
Judy Fisher has been trying frantically to get a coronavirus vaccine appointment for her twin 12-year-olds. She has downloaded apps for every drugstore chain in New York City, is strategizing on multiple text chains and looking into out-of-state appointments, hoping to get her daughter and son fully vaccinated so they can see their friends and go to summer camp. “I’m foaming at the mouth to get them vaccinated so they can have some semblance of a normal summer,” Fisher said. “I cry when I think about all they have missed already.” (Wan, Sun and Meckler, 5/11)

Also —

The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Data On Children Under 12 Expected By Late Fall, Officials Say 
There will likely be enough evidence by late fall this year to potentially extend the use of Covid-19 vaccines to many children under age 12, Biden administration health officials told a U.S. Senate panel Tuesday. “We expect to have data on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines for children under 12” by that time, David Kessler, the administration’s chief Covid-19 scientific officer, told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. (Burton, 5/11)