Hoboken To Offer Pfizer COVID Vaccine To Kids Age 12-15 This Week

HOBOKEN, NJ — The city of Hoboken and local pharmacies are planning to offer the Pfizer vaccine to Hoboken residents age 12-15 this week, and they can get appointments already, the city announced Tuesday. While the FDA has approved the vaccine for emergency use for kids 12 and over, the CDC's federal vaccine advisory committee was expected to give more guidance and recommendations on Wednesday.

READ MORE: FDA Approves COVID Vaccine For Kids 12+: What It Means In NJ

The city is already running additional vaccine clinics for those 18 and over. See the complete list here.

“The ability for children ages 12-15 to get vaccinated is welcome news, and we are glad to partner with our local pharmacies to expand our clinics so our younger residents can protect themselves,” said Mayor Ravi Bhalla on Tuesday. “I encourage parents to assist their children in signing up for an appointment utilizing the options provided through the city.”

Read the FDA's announcement here.

The Pfizer vaccine will require two doses, as with adults. Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, including the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, are a new type of vaccine that doesn't include the weakened virus, but teaches human cells to make a protein that triggers the immune response (read more about that here). The Johnson & Johnson vaccine only requires one shot, but is not available yet for children. That one-shot vaccine was temporarily paused after the FDA reviewed reports of 13 women getting blood clots — three fatal — out of 7.98 million receiving the shot. It now comes with a warning.

Here are the places in Hoboken that will offer the vaccine to teens, according to the city:

• Saturday: The Pfizer clinic, by appointment only: Medicine Man Pharmacy and Compounding and the Hoboken Health Department will be hosting a vaccine clinic with the Pfizer vaccine (two-doses) or Johnson & Johnson vaccine (one-dose) at 605 Jackson St. on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. The Health Department and Medicine man are opening the vaccine clinic to all Hoboken residents ages 12 and older. The clinic is also open to Hoboken business employees. Appointments are now required for Saturday, and can be scheduled at www.hobokennj.gov/medicinemanvaccine. Children ages 12 to 16 must be accompanied by a guardian at the time of the vaccine, and must select the Pfizer vaccine when scheduling the appointment.
• NEW: additional Pfizer clinics on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday for residents ages 12 and up, by appointment only: The Hoboken Health Department and Medicine Man Pharmacy and Compounding are now offering additional clinics utilizing the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccines this upcoming Sunday, (10 a.m. – 3 p.m.), Monday (3 p.m. – 8 p.m.), and Tuesday (3 p.m. – 8 p.m.) at 605 Jackson St. for all residents ages 12 and older, as well as Hoboken business employees. Appointments are required, and can be scheduled at www.hobokennj.gov/medicinemanvaccine. Children ages 12 to 16 must be accompanied by a guardian at the time of the vaccine, and must select the Pfizer vaccine when scheduling the appointment.

The city is already running additional vaccine clinics for those 18 and over. See the complete list here.

Studies have shown that the vaccine is at least 95 percent effective against the virus, and among those who still get it, it will reduce the chance of hospitalization and death.

Statistics on the virus in New Jersey

• While new cases are on the decline, the virus still remains a factor statewide. There are 1,382 people in New Jersey hospitalized with the virus, 196 on ventilators. There were 20 resident fatalities confirmed from Sunday to Monday.
• New Jersey's peak daily death toll on April 30, 2020 was 460 fatalities reported in one day. The numbers then steadily dropped during the shutdowns in the summer, until September, when they began rising again.
• The state's daily death toll has not yet declined to the level of Sept. 8, when only 2 deaths were reported in one day.
• 579,000 Americans have died of the virus as of Friday, including 709 deaths since the day before, according to the CDC.
• You can see which states had the highest death toll in the past week on this CDC map, and see how each county is doing with this CDC link.

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