NEW ORLEANS — Some young teenagers, and their parents, didn't waste any time lining up for a COVID vaccine now that the Pfizer shot is approved for anyone 12-and-older.
Young students took a little time off from class this morning to make sure they were among the first to get that first dose.
It’s 10 a.m. at LSU Health. Junior high students take a break from class and. with a parent at their sides, became the first 12- to 15-year-olds in the city to get a COVID vaccine. A St. Georges eighth-grader said, today is a step towards normalcy.
“I'd rather feel bad for a day than feel sick for like two to three weeks, and even have my life on the line,” Harrison Kurt said.
His dad said his friends are all in for getting their children a vaccine too.
“We're just excited to get things back to normal, and start experiencing all the things the city has to offer and go on vacation and things like that,” said Mark Kurt, Harrison’s father.
Over at Ochsner, three freshman friends from Newman School struck a pose, proud to expose their BAND-AIDS.
“I already feel slightly relieved even though it's only the first dose, just like a burden's lifted off your chest,” freshman Ava Kreutziger said.
The 15- and 14-year-olds didn't let the negative social media rumors dissuade them.
“I had done my research. I read a lot of articles about it, and all the researchers saying everything was going to be fine,” freshman Lilly Gorman said.
And they all had personal reasons for getting vaccinated.
“I’m just really kind of ready for us to get back to normal, as a country, and the world in general, and I know a lot of family members who are vulnerable to COVID,” explained Croix Hill, another freshman classmate.
“It's definitely been challenging, and mental health has also been very hard this year,” Kreutziger added.
Uptown at Children's Hospital, City Health Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno, breathed a sigh of relief. Now she doesn't have to worry about her daughters visiting their grandparents.
“We need our young folks to get vaccinated because if, as our adults do, and that's great, then the only place for the virus to go is in kids,” Dr. Avegno explained about trying to stop new dangerous variants from developing.
“I feel like it means that it's safer for me to see my family, and for me to protect my family,” said one of Dr. Avegno's daughter.
“I feel like if more kids get their vaccine, then they have a wide variety of more things they can do,” said another daughter.
Friends and seeing full faces were tops on all of the teens’ lists for showing up today.
Teens younger than 18 will need parental consent to get the COVID vaccine. Some sites let you fill that out online, while at others, a parent needs to be there in person.