NYC launches COVID vaccine sites for children 6 months to 5 years old
NEW YORK -- COVID vaccines for children as young as six months old are now available across New York City.
It comes after the CDC gave the Moderna and Pfizer shots the final approval over the weekend.
CBS2's Elijah Westbrook spoke with parents Wednesday to see their reactions.
Two-year-old Cara Bookman was one of the city's first little ones to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Westbrook caught up with her and her dad, Max, as soon as the Times Square vaccination site opened exclusively for children younger than five years old.
"We feel like the world has left us behind -- parents of children who are under five -- and being able to get her vaccinated means we can finally go back to doing some of the normal things that everybody else has been doing for a while now," Max Bookman told Westbrook.
Mayor Eric Adams and Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan toured the site ahead of its opening, reassuring parents the vaccines are safe and effective.
"We now have more than 18 months of data to show that these vaccinations work, that they are effective, they save lives, they prevent hospitalizations and they prevent transmission of COVID-19," said Vasan.
Despite the data, not everyone is onboard with vaccinating their young children and said they may sit this one out until they're older.
"They're too young to be going through that, so no. Me myself, yeah. But I wouldn't give my daughter no vaccine," Starasia Kent said.
"Just how young they are, and just I think there's still a lot of unknowns, especially with the vaccine," another person added.
COVID VACCINE
- New York State book online here or call 1-833-NYS-4-VAX
- New York City book online here or call 877-VAX-4NYC
- Track NYC vaccinations by zip code
- Nassau County more info here
- Suffolk County more info here
- Westchester County more info here
- New Jersey book online here or call 1-855-568-0545
- Connecticut book online here
To let the Bookman family tell you, it's worth it, and getting the vaccine for Cara means going back to doing the simple things in life.
"Taking her to museums, just all the normal things that kids are supposed to do," Max Bookman said.
The Times Square vaccination site is one of 10 throughout the city that opened Wednesday. You can schedule an appointment on the city's website, or some locations accept walk-ins.
CLICK HERE for more information from the city.
