Julian Boyce, 14, receives his first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, from nurse Kenia Georges in New York on May 13, 2021.
AP
The kids are alright.
Tweens and young teens began getting COVID-19 vaccines in New York City Thursday — the first day the jabs were open to 12 to 15 year-olds.
Adolescents who got the Pfizer shot, which was approved by the CDC for the age group Wednesday, said they were relieved and excited to safely hang out with other kids.
“It was nice getting the vaccine, I felt relief,” said Daisy Munoz, 12, who got the shot at the Javits Center in Manhattan. “I’m excited to go to sleep away camp this summer now.”
Her mom, Lexi, said getting the vaccination, “felt like a really big moment.”
Others youngsters were thrilled at the prospect of ditching their masks.
“It’s been, like, a decade of COVID and I’m so excited we’re closer to being done with it. I’m excited not to wear a mask and eat inside,” said 12-year-old Madeline.
At Empire Outlets mall on Staten Island, over half of the people who showed up to the vaccination site as of Thursday afternoon were ages 12 to 15, said Nicole Stambolis, director of the site.
“It is a good turn out [that] we expect to get even busier,” she said.
