There is some big news for parents of children 12 years old and older. Beginning Thursday, Immunize El Paso says it will begin vaccinating children in that age group. All this comes after the announcement on Monday from the Food and Drug Administration that they authorized using the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children 12 and older. This, of course, clears the way to get kids 12 and older vaccinated before they head back to school in the fall which would help clear the way for them to participate in their normal activities.

The FDA said that the Pfizer vaccine is safe for kids in that age group and they said that there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated kids in that age group compared with 16 cases of COVID among kids given placebo shots. The other major COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer, Moderna, is working on their own study of their vaccine with 12- to 17-year-olds. The company says they are seeing strong protection and no serious side effects.

School kids running in elementary school hallway, front view
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With kids in the 12 and older age group, the next hurdle is testing the vaccine on even younger children. Pfizer and Moderna are doing studies in the U.S. on kids ages 6 months to 11 years old. Pfizer expects the first results of their study in the fall.
Immunize El Paso is accepting new appointments for kids in the 12 years old and older age group.

Each of Immunize El Paso’s three clinics will accept appointments and walk-ins throughout the coming weeks. To pre-register, parents should go to Immunize El Paso’s website by clicking here or call 915-533-3414.

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