COVID Vaccines For Kids Are Here: Here's Where To Book One

MASSACHUSETTS — Federal health officials have given the green light to COVID vaccinations for children ages 5-11, setting off a new, long-anticipated phase in the battle against the pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for elementary school-aged children, paving the way for inoculations for some 28 million kids across the country.

"Together, with science leading the charge, we have taken another important step forward in our nation’s fight against the virus that causes COVID-19," Walensky, a Peabody native and former top doctor at Mass General Hospital, said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has already granted emergency use authorization.

Vaccinations can begin as soon as Wednesday at pharmacies across Massachusetts. You can book appointments beginning Saturday at Walgreens and Sunday at CVS.

Massachusetts officials have encouraged school districts and local pediatricians to "take an active role in vaccinating children under 12.

"Since May, many schools have hosted COVID-19 vaccination clinics on campus, making vaccination convenient and easy for busy families," Acting Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke and Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley wrote to school officials last week. "We urge all schools to host on-site vaccination clinics once children ages 5-11 are eligible."

The commissioners encouraged vaccination clinics "immediately before or after school, in the evening, or on weekends so that a parent or guardian can accompany their child."

The vaccination efforts could lead to more schools becoming eligible to drop indoor mask mandates. Schools with at least 80 percent students and staff vaccination rates can petition to drop the mandate — but as of now, only high schools have a real chance due to no vaccines for children under 12.