Treasure Valley healthcare centers anticipate continued demand from 12- to 15-year-olds to get a COVID-19 shot after the Pfizer vaccine was ok’d for them last week.
Twelve-year-old Emily Weiss was one of the first children in Idaho to get vaccinated against COVID-19 when she got her initial jab Wednesday. She said she’s missed a lot of things during the pandemic, including regular visits with relatives and playing flute in band concerts.
“I really was happy because I really wanted to get it and get back to normal,” she said. “I wanted to see my friends, play sports and go on vacation.”
Emily’s mom is Dr. Ann Weiss, a clinical director at Primary Health Medical Group. She oversees COVID-19 education there; she said she was encouraged by a rush of parents bringing their children in.
“It is critical because we have so many kids in the country in the state, and we can't really talk about herd immunity until we talk about kids,” she said.
An Idaho Department of Health and Welfare spokeswoman said the department expects to have numbers on the statewide demand for adolescents this week. Historically, Idaho’s vaccination rates are among the worst in the country and it’s lagging behind most states in getting COVID-19 shots into arms.