US kicks off Covid vaccination for teens
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, United States: Harrison Hunger, 14, received his Covid shot at a clinic in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, on Thursday and now has pastries on his mind.
Asked what he plans to do first, the teen doesn’t skip a beat: “Probably go to Krispy Kreme, because they are offering free donuts to people with one of these,” he says, showing off his vaccine card.
The campaign to immunize America’s 17 million adolescents aged 12-to-15 kicked off in full force on Thursday, a key part of President Joe Biden’s strategy to push the country toward herd immunity.
Across the country, kids lined up with their parents, eager to return to some semblance of their pre-pandemic lives.
“It will help me get back out more. Online playdates are pretty fun, but it’s also fun to have an in-person playdate once in a while,” said Daniel Fox, a 13-year-old among the first in the door when the Javits Centre in New York City opened at 10am.
Fourteen-year-old twins Anaya and Jay Tsai also received their first doses.
“I’ve been very much looking forward to this day for a while. It’s hugely important,” said their mother Purva Tsai, 47.
In Hartford, 14-year-old Sadie Sindland said she is ready to get back to school full-time, to play in a band and to see friends, despite some nervousness.
“I am always very scared of getting vaccines. But I was really excited to get this Covid vaccine, because this is the first step to getting back to a normal society,” Sadie said.
Teens are much less susceptible to Covid than older age groups, and the main reason to vaccinate them is to drive down overall transmission. —