Walk-In COVID-19 Vaccines Available At CentraState For Ages 12+

FREEHOLD, NJ - CentraState Healthcare System in Freehold will be offering walk-in COVID-19 vaccine appointments to residents ages 12 and older this weekend.

Those visiting the medical facility for a walk-in appointment should enter through the Health Awareness Center at Door 6 (see the full walk-in schedule below).

The expansion of vaccine eligibility to those ages 12-15 comes after the Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use approval for the Pfizer vaccine. The recommendation comes after testing on more than 2,000 U.S. volunteers ages 12 to 15. The study found no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among kids given dummy shots. Researchers also found the participants developed higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies than earlier studies measured in young adults.

The younger teens received the same vaccine dosage as adults and had the same side effects, mostly sore arms and flu-like fever, chills or aches that signal a revved-up immune system, especially after the second dose.

Walk-in hours are as follows:

• Friday, May 14 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, May 15 from 8 a.m. to noon

Gov. Phil Murphy has indicated that the Garden State is prepared to begin vaccinating the younger age demographic, with children slated to receive the vaccine in one of the following ways:

Murphy said children may be able to get vaccinated in one of the following ways:

• through partnerships with schools;
• pediatricians;
• local pharmacies;
• at mega-sites;
• using the state's COVID-19 mega-sites to bring doses directly to the communities where the children live; and
• Walgreens, which is already vaccinating residents ages 16-and-up

Clinical trials for vaccines that can be used for residents as young as 2 years old are underway, according to Department of Health Communicable Disease Service Medical Director Dr. Edward Lifshitz.

"By this fall, there may be a vaccine authorized for patients that young, but I wouldn't expect anything earlier than that," Lifshitz said.

Vaccinating students would go toward Murphy's goal of having everyone return to in-person learning full-time for the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.

"We want to see schools back in person, and we are highly confident we can do that safely and responsibly," Murphy said.

With reporting by Russ Crespolini and Anthony Bellano.