COVID Vaccine Clinic For High School Students Opens In Westboro
WESTBORO (CBS) -- A coronavirus vaccination clinic for high school students in several communities took place on Saturday. Doors at the DoubleTree Hotel in Westboro opened at 8:30 a.m.
The Pfizer vaccine was being offered to students 16 and older, but anyone under 18 needed a parent's consent to get the shot.
"I was pretty excited, honestly. Everyone is talking about getting their shots and I was like 'Mine is today!'" said Sophie Chapin, who is a junior in high school.
This year, she had to miss out on a lot activities.
"COVID ruined a lot of lives, and it messes up a lot of people's lives. So many people had to leave their jobs and so many people died from it. I think it's really important that we do everything we can to stop it," said Chapin.
On Saturday, hundreds of high school students ages 16 and up from several districts rolled up their sleeves to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
"There's definitely a rise in that age group. I think people really want to get back to normal. People want to get back with their friends. We want to get our schools completely opened," said Ashland COVID-19 Task Force Lead Ashland Ed Burman.
According to Hopkinton Health Director Shaun McAuliffe, many of the town's cases are in middle school students, high school students, and student athletes.
"I play softball for my high school, so hopefully we'll have somewhat of a normal season this year and then have a really normal season next year," said Hallie Costa, a junior at Lincoln-Sudbury High School.
The Westborough clinic at the Double Tree Hotel is actually part of a larger collaborative effort involving seven different tows. They are accepting walk-ins and they hope when the opportunities arises to open it up to younger people.
"We are gearing up for if the FDA gives approves the 12 to 15 year olds. If that happens this week, we are going to run a clinic this Friday from 2 [p.m.] to 5 [p.m.]," said Burman.
More than 750 shots were administered on Saturday. The clinic will be open next week, and people can register through the state's website to book their appointments.
