COVID-19 Vaccine Available to Children 12 to 15 Years Old in Springfield
Appointment required

[May 17, 2021]   Children as young as 12 years old will be able to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine starting tomorrow (Thursday) at Memorial Medical Center’s South Sixth Drive-Thru Lab, 2950 S. Sixth St., Springfield.

To schedule an appointment, visit Vaccination.mhsil.com.

The Pfizer vaccine is a two-dose regimen, with the shots spaced about 21 days apart. Once people receive their second shot, they will be fully immunized about two weeks later. Until the Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization on Monday followed by approval from an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today (Wednesday), the vaccine was available only to 16 years old and older.

“While many children with COVID-19 will have mild symptoms if any, a small fraction of them will become severely ill from the virus and need hospitalization,” Jay Roszhart, president of Memorial Health System Ambulatory Group, said. “This vaccine can help ensure children stay safe.”

A parent or guardian must be available in person or by phone to provide consent.

Studies show that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at keeping people from getting COVID-19. Getting a COVID-19 vaccine will also help keep people from getting seriously ill even if they do get COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children do not need to be current patients of Memorial Physician Services or Memorial Health System affiliates to receive the vaccine. Appointments may be scheduled regardless of where the child lives.

[Michael Leathers]