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Now it’s the teens’ turn: COVID-19 vaccine eligibility opening to age 16 and up
UMass Medical School experts explain how pandemic has affected youth By Susan E.W. Spencer April 16, 2021
Massachusetts residents ages 16 and older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, April 19, which Gov. Charlie Baker calls a significant milestone in the commonwealth’s mission to vaccinate residents and bring the pandemic to a close.
The only vaccine currently authorized for ages 16 and 17 is made by Pfizer-BioNTech. The FDA is expected to expand authorization for younger teens, ages 12 to 15, in the coming weeks.
UMass Medical School pediatricians and infectious disease experts said many young patients and their parents are eager to take this step toward immunity. The disease has particularly affected children and adolescents’ mental health and social connections; and children have spread the virus, even though severe illness has
Lake Country Pediatrics in Oconomowoc, Wis., transformed a small school bus into a mobile exam room for childhood vaccinations last April.
Courtesy Nathan Fleming
At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, Eileen Costello, the chief of ambulatory pediatrics at Boston Medical Center, had been forced to reduce patient visits by 90%. Even so, she tried to keep all appointments with kids to get their routine vaccinations for diseases such as measles, mumps, and whooping cough.
“We moved heaven and earth to book the kids in person who were due for a vaccine,” said Costello, who is also a clinical professor at Boston University School of Medicine. “But it became evident that parents weren’t going to come. They were too afraid.”