It has recently been announced that anyone 12 years old and older were finally approved to be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer. Before it used to be just 16 years old and up but the vaccine by Pfizer has been proved to be effective for 12 year olds and up. Hopefully soon even more younger people can get vaccinated.
The vaccine may give some people side effects but it’s still safe. Some side effects are muscle pain, fever, tiredness, nausea and more. Not everyone will get a side effect.
The Pfizer vaccine that people 12 years and older can get has two doses and it is very important to get both doses. You can receive a second dose three weeks after the first dose. The Moderna vaccine also requires two doses but it is not approved for 12 years old and up yet.
In the United States the COVID vaccine is free of charge for people of any age.
One really easy way to find a COVID vaccine appointment  is to use vaccines.gov. Vaccines.gov is a free service where people can use it to look for places to get vaccinated near them. It’s very easy to use.
The cdc.org encourages eligible adults and children to get a vaccine as soon as they can.
Lots of children are excited about getting the vaccine and they feel safer with more people getting vaccinated. They also feel safer getting vaccinated themselves now.
“I do feel safer that more people are getting vaccinated because it can help stop the spread of COVID,” said Evelyn Melendi, a seventh grader. “This means that less people will get sick and fatal outcomes will decrease. I am happy that I am now able to be vaccinated because this can protect me and other people my age from having serious side effects of the virus. I think that the vaccine will change the way that we have to do things now, and make everything feel more normal.”
If more people continue to get vaccinated the sooner herd immunity can be achieved for COVID-19, which is when a large community of people become immune to a sickness or disease and it makes the disease/sickness harder to spread. Vaccines such as the COVID-19 vaccines can make this happen.