WASHINGTON — This was the first weekend when kids as young as 12 were eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine after federal health officials greenlit the Pfizer vaccine for use in this younger age group earlier this week.
Dr. Tara Saggar is an internal medicine specialist at Medstar Health and the lead physician at D.C.'s Arena Stage vaccination site. She said before earning emergency use authorization from the FDA, the vaccine was rigorously tested in thousands of people.
"2,200 children," Dr. Saggar said. "I believe it was more than 100,000 that were done for the adults just prior to the authorization."
"It's a very, very intrinsic, detail-oriented process that doesn't leave any gaps," she added.
It's where 12-year-old Anna Puryear and her 14-year-old sister Meredith Puryear got their first doses Sunday. Their mom, Laura Puryear, accompanied them.
"At first I was a little scared but I think the excitement of getting the vaccine was a bigger emotion," said Meredith
Meredith, an 8th grader, hopes these vaccinations help revive the small joys of school.
"I hope everybody gets it," she said. "For lunch, we all have to sit face forward in lines of chairs without talking but hopefully we'll get to a place where we can go inside and just talk to each other during lunch."
According to Dr. Saggar, some mild side effects of the vaccine, like fatigue or injection site soreness, are fairly typical in this younger age group.
However, she noted, that's "no different than our childhood immunizations."
More serious side effects, she said, are highly uncommon.
"Incredibly rare," said Dr. Saggar. "We do think this is a safe medication."
She said that as both a doctor and a mom.
She's got two boys of her own, a 6-year-old and an 11-year-old.
"The 11-year-old is right on the cusp of getting that vaccine. As soon as it's made available to either of them, both of them we will absolutely make it a family event, get them all vaccinated," said Dr. Saggar.
You can see which walk-up vaccination centers in D.C. vaccines are open to patients 12 and older here.
No appointment is needed and the vaccination is free, though Dr. Saggar said eligible minors must have a parent accompany them to give consent. If they have ID, Saggar said minors are asked to bring that to the vaccination site as well.