First Teens Vaccinated At Raritan Bay Medical Center, Old Bridge

OLD BRIDGE, NJ — On Thursday, the first under-15-year-olds received the coronavirus vaccine at Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge.

And the hospital says it is open to the public for walk-in vaccines if anyone else would like to get their teen — or themselves — vaccinated.

Raritan Bay Medical Center Old Bridge is open to the public Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. for all children and adults ages 12 and up to get the vaccine, said the hospital. Children 12 and up and adults can walk in between those times.

Raritan Bay is part of the Hackensack Meridian Healthcare chain, and Hackensack University Medical Center main campus, in Hackensack, shared these photos of dozens of teens 12 and 15 who got their shot there Thursday.

On Wednesday, the CDC approved the Pfizer vaccine to be given to children as young as 12. Previously, it had been approved for adults and anyone 16 and older.

At Raritan Bay, the first teens to get the shot were Debosree and Urboshi Datta, the twin daughters of Dr. Ujjwal Datta, a podiatrist at Raritan Bay Medical Center.

The doctor said his twin daughters were "excited" to be the first two children to get the shot.

"The reason I wanted to get my daughters vaccinated is first of all, peace of mind that they will be protected from this virus and also they can once again resume school in person and enjoy the experience of being high schoolers and all things that adolescents and teenagers are supposed to experience in a normal childhood," said their father. "Since we are all vaccinated at home, now we can feel safe traveling with them as well during the upcoming summer months and most importantly can celebrate their sweet 16 birthday next month."

"They can also be an example to their peers that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 virus is safe and in turn get them encouraged to get vaccinated."

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