Parents, Kids Line Up At Convention Center For Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Hundreds of children between the ages 5 and 11 lined up with their parents outside the Baltimore Convention Center on Saturday morning to get their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.wa
"It felt great. It went great. He didn't squirm. He didn't cry. Everything, it just went really well," said Tia Fore, who got get son vaccinated at the clinic.
Five- to 11-year-olds can now get vaccinated after federal health officials cleared the way for doses of the Pfizer vaccine for the age group earlier in the week.
"This is the next big step in us taking on the pandemic and getting on the other side of all this so that we can reach the new normal," said Dr. Chuck Callahan, director of Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital.
Some parents at the clinic said getting the shot was an important step both for their kids and their community.
"It's going to help everybody, folks back at home, all the teachers who are working so hard, you know, with hundreds of students. It's just critical to get us back on track," Julia Dooher said.
About 515,000 Maryland children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible for the vaccine. The state has placed an initial order of 180,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for children.
Several pediatric vaccine clinics will be held across Baltimore in the coming weeks.