Vaccinations for children 12 and older are now available in Los Angeles

Faith E. Pinho
·2 min read
Los Angeles , CA - May 14: Christiana Neri, 38, holds her 13-year-old son Ivan Hernandez as Sequoia Hutton administers Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccine clinic held for age 12 and over at Roosevelt Park on Friday, May 14, 2021 in Los Angeles , CA. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Christiana Neri holds her 13-year-old son, Ivan Hernandez, as Sequoia Hutton administers Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccine clinic held for age 12 and over at Roosevelt Park Friday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles children ages 12 and up can begin getting the Pfizer vaccine today.

The new directive comes two days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced 12- to 15-year-olds could safely receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The newly qualified age group represents about 500,000 Los Angeles adolescents, according to a statement from the county Public Health Department.

A parent or guardian must be present and bring the child's photo ID with proof of age. Some places may require signing a consent form.

Vaccinations are available without an appointment. Families can find a location in Los Angeles on the city's website or at one of the county locations at VaccinateLACounty.com; the Spanish-language website is VacunateLosAngeles.com. People without internet access can call (833) 540-0473.

Los Angeles follows a day after several other sites around the county began administering COVID-19 vaccines. In Long Beach on Thursday, children lined up outside the convention center to receive their first shots of the Pfizer vaccine. All eight county-run sites also opened up to children on Thursday.

Dozens of vaccine sites across L.A. County are offering Pfizer shots, including at community health centers, schools, St. John's Health Center, CVS, Kaiser, Ralphs Pharmacies, Walgreens and more. Of the 60 schools in L.A. County serving as vaccination sites, 37 are offering the Pfizer vaccine, according to the county news release.

Not all parents are eager to let their kids get the shot. A Kaiser Family Foundation survey showed that less than a third of parents of 12- to 15-year-olds planned planned to have their children vaccinated as soon as possible. About a quarter said they wanted to wait until more data became available, and another quarter said they didn't plan on seeking vaccination for their children at all.

The county public health department will host a virtual vaccine town hall for parents, available on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, on Tuesday, May 18, at 6:00 p.m.

Times staff writer Emily Baumgaertner contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.