Rite Aid Begins Administering COVID Vaccine To Ages 12 And Up

NEW JERSEY — Rite Aid announced Thursday it will begin to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone 12 or older at all locations offering the Pfizer vaccine.

Guardians for those under 18 can now schedule appointments using the Rite Aid scheduling tool at RiteAid.com/covid-19.

Rite Aid is also offering schools and organizations the ability to organize on-site vaccine clinics directly by visiting riteaid.com/covid-19/community-clinics. The clinics would be conducted by Rite Aid's pharmacy team.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel approved the emergency-use authorization of Pfizer's vaccine for teens ages 12-15 on Wednesday. Read More: All NJ Teens Can Get COVID Vaccine With CDC Approval: Gov. Murphy

"Opening eligibility for those 12 and older is a major step forward in the effort to get as many people vaccinated as possible and help bring an end to the pandemic," said Jim Peters, chief operating officer, Rite Aid.

Murphy said he could not comment yet on whether New Jersey will require children and teens get the coronavirus vaccine to go back to school in September.

"I hope we can get there of their own free will to get vaccinated as opposed to mandating it," said Murphy Wednesday. "I will say this: It's just a reality that it's gonna be a lot more convenient to be vaccinated, and a lot more inconvenient to not be vaccinated. That's just gonna be a fact over time."

— Additional reporting by Carly Baldwin

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.

Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here. Don't miss local and statewide announcements. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.