LANTANA, Fla. — Now that children ages 12 and older are eligible to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, Palm Beach County health leaders are trying to make the process as easy as possible.
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County is hosting a pop-up vaccination clinic this week from Monday through Friday at 1250 Southwinds Drive in Lantana from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
These are walk-up vaccinations, so you don't need an appointment.
Medical professionals will administer the Pfizer vaccine, meaning children 12 and older can get inoculated on the spot. The one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine is also being administered at this pop-up site.
If you do get the Pfizer vaccine at the site this week, you'll be scheduled to return to the same location in three weeks for your second dose.
Children who are 17 and under will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian, who will have to fill out a consent form.
A proud grandmother took pictures of her 13-year-old granddaughter finally getting her COVID-19 vaccine on Monday.
"I want to be protected from the virus," said Isabella Burgos.
Burgos said her grandmother didn’t need to convince her. She wanted the Pfizer vaccine as soon as she learned she could get it when the FDA issued an emergency use authorization last week, and the CDC green-lighted administration of the vaccine to anyone 12 and older.
"I was happy because now I can get the vaccine. I can feel protected. I can go outside and regain my life," Burgos said.
A couple seats away in the observation area, Lydia Etienne breathed a sigh of relief that her 13-year-old son got the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
"We just came back from New York. We had to travel for a funeral. It's always in the back of your mind," Etienne said.
"I didn't feel it at all. I was just looking around and when they tell me that it’s done I was like, really?" Burgos said.
Burgos said she’s been doing distance learning and said she hopes her classmates consider getting the vaccine since everyone is returning next school year.
"I haven't heard any of friends talking about it. I suppose they want to get it too," Burgos said.
Over the weekend, that same mobile unit from the Health Care District was set up in downtown West Palm Beach to provide easier access for people to get the vaccine.
According to the latest numbers from the Florida Department of Health, 9,577,875 people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Sunshine State, including 619,331 people in the 16-24 age group.
Currently, coronavirus vaccines from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are only authorized for people 18 and older.
For more information about the COVID-19 vaccine for children, click here.
