Boston Parents Hope Vaccines Will Keep Kids In School
BOSTON (CBS) - COVID-19 vaccine clinics for kids ages 5-11 are popping up across Boston and the state, as some parents rush to get their kids a first dose.
"I feel so good," said Liz Mahoney of Roslindale just outside a Boston Medical Center clinic where her son Collin got his first shot. "His birthday is in a few days, so this is the best birthday present ever," she added.
Others weren't as lucky at the Roslindale clinic, trying to walk in but finding no remaining appointments.
"There is kind of an anxiety of not knowing every day if she can stay in school and this is kind of a way of removing that anxiety and keeping kids in school," Erin DeCurtis said about her daughter Evelyn.
Parents like DeCurtis are on high alert about school safety after the Curley School in Jamaica Plain announced it would close for two weeks, after 46 people tested positive for COVID-19 around 21 different classrooms.
"It's happening right at the time that everyone is getting vaccinated so hopefully we will stem the tide, and this won't happen again," DeCurtis said.
A few miles down the road, a simultaneous clinic for kids and adults was run by Boston EMS in Mattapan. Throughout the day, in two sessions, the group vaccinated 94 people, including a handful of pediatric patients.
"Honestly the parents have been awesome role models," explained Emergency Medical Technician Eldar Pehilj, who administers the shots. "They're usually getting their booster, so the kids look up at them as they get their shot and just go with the flow."