Children Ages 12-15 Can Get Pfizer Booster Shots Starting Thursday in DC

Currently, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is the only vaccine approved for people younger than 18.

A vial of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is seen
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

Children ages 12-15 can get a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot in D.C. starting Thursday, after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the third dose for the age group. 

“Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Health, led by Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, are encouraging all 12- to 15-year-olds who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on or before August 6, 2021 to get a booster dose as soon as possible,” the Mayor’s office said in a news release. 

The shot will be available at District-operated library walk-up sites, pop-up sites, and pediatric clinics listed on vaccinate.dc.gov.

Boosters already were encouraged for all Americans 16 and older, but Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed an extra Pfizer shot for younger teens — those 12 to 15 — and strengthened its recommendation that 16- and 17-year-olds get it, too.

Currently, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is the only vaccine approved for people younger than 18.

Lauran Neergaard and Mike Stobbe contributed to this report.

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