'I've Been Waiting For This Day' Parents And Children React To Newly Approve Pfizer Vaccine For Ages 12 And Up
BALTIMORE (WJZ) –- Dozens of parents brought their adolescents to Northwest Hospital in Randallstown Thursday to get a dose of the newly-approved Pfizer vaccine.
"I've been waiting for this day," said Alison D'Alessandro "I think this is a great day. I think it's a day our children will remember forever."
Alison D'Alessandro pulled her two sons and daughter out of school Thursday to get the first dose.
"Anyone can say being locked in the house is pretty painful—not being able to see family and friends," Isabella D'Alessandro, 15, said. "When I heard (of the approval for ages 12-15) and I heard my brothers could get it at the time, it was really exciting."
The FDA approved this week use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for ages 12 through 15. Northwest Hospital in Randallstown began administering the shots almost immediately.
"Tears of joy, relief. It's been a long time waiting for this day," Dr. Jonathan Thierman, Chief Medical Information Officer at LifeBridge Health said. "The general public seeing some of those kids getting vaccinated might spur some of those hesitant adults to get back in and get vaccinated."
Dr. Thierman is the vaccination center medical director. More than 23,000 vaccine doses have been administered at vaccine clinic across from Northwest Hospital so far.
The Maryland Department of Health says its is prioritizing mass vaccination sites first, as Pfizer is offered at all of the state-run mass vaccination sites. After that, it will focus on outreach with help from pediatricians eager to help.
"It's mobile vaccines. It's all the clinics set up," Bryan Mroz, the state's Incident Commander for Vaccines said Thursday. "This is the same vaccine we've been giving to millions of adults across the country. Millions of Marylanders have already received this vaccine."
