Long Beach will begin vaccinating children ages 12 and up starting Thursday, May 13 after federal agencies approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine for younger kids earlier this week.
Children between the ages of 12 and 17 will need parental consent in order to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Prior to this week, COVID-19 vaccines have only been allowed to be administered to residents 16 and older, but now the Pfizer vaccine can be given to people as young as 12.
“This is a huge milestone in our effort to fully vaccinate everyone against COVID-19,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “By getting vaccinated, these kids protect not only themselves but everyone around them.”
Parents wanting to get their children vaccinated can do so without an appointment at three city-run sites. A consent form can be accessed on the city’s website.
The city’s mass vaccination clinic at the Long Beach Convention Center is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Thursdays the site will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The site will be open for both walk-up and drive-through vaccines.
The Cabrillo High School vaccination site is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a new site at Tucker Middle School is open Wednesdays from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
It’s expected that the state’s vaccine appointment system will allow appointments for those aged 12 to 15 years starting Thursday.
Long Beach has vaccinated over 60% of residents over 16 years old but its vaccination push has slowed in recent weeks. Earlier this week the city announced an incentive program that will give two free tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific to anyone receiving their first vaccine dose through Saturday, May 15.
Here are the locations of the city-run sites vaccinating children without an appointment:
- Long Beach Convention Center 300 E. Ocean Blvd.
- Cabrillo High School 2001 Santa Fe Ave.
- Tucker Middle School 2221 Argonne Ave.
Editors note: The story has been updated to include updated operating hours at the Convention Center provided by the city in an amended press release.