NEW ORLEANS — It wasn’t just report card day at the Paul Habans Charter School in Algiers.
Friday was also the first day for children ages 5-to-11 to get their Covid-19 vaccines.
Sixth-grader Kiminie Henry said it was important for her to be one of the first in line for the shot.
“If I caught Covid I didn’t want to take the risk of actually get sick and like go to the hospital because a lot of people have died from Covid,” Henry said.
Eight-year-old Samantha McEvoy also got the jab.
“I don’t think it hurt as much as the flu shot, but it still like hurt a little,” McEvoy said. “I was a little nervous at first, but it wasn’t too bad when I actually got it.”
Their parents said getting the kids vaccinated takes a weight off their shoulders.
“Just making sure she feels safe going out and that we’re able to know that more people in the community are vaccinated is just safer for all of us,” Samantha’s father Tim McEvoy said.
“She’s in school, so she’s around kids all day and I think that if in fact the kids were vaccinated, that would definitely help,” Kiminie’s aunt Edora Lott said.
Habans’ Principal LaKeysha Arthur was happy to host the vaccination event.
“We are excited about getting back to some sense of normalcy, being able to really support the young and most vulnerable group of population,” Arthur said.
Dr. Jason Halperin from Crescent Care hopes to do one of these school events every week through the end of December.
“We know that public schools are a trusted place,” Halperin said. “This vaccine against Covid-19 is safe, it’s effective and it’s going to get us out of this pandemic.”
Halperin added, “I’m a doctor. I’m also a father. My 5-year-old got vaccinated yesterday.”
Children who got the shot encouraged other young ones to do so as well.
“It’s scary to be through a pandemic because you could feel sick at some point and you might feel like you have Covid, but it’s just a cold,” McEvoy said. “It just makes you feel safer around everyone.”
“If you were to get sick, that can not only endanger you, but it can endanger people you hang around,” Henry said.
Many parents may be wondering when the Covid vaccine will be available for children younger than 5. U.S. health officials expect that to happen early next year.
Right now, only the Pfizer vaccine is available for ages 5-to-11 years old.