Update: 200 additional spots available at Thursday’s Pfizer vaccine clinic for teens as appointments fill completely

Appointments strongly encouraged, as vaccines will go quickly and walk-ins may not be available at that point Thursday, health officials stress

A bottle of hand sanitizer sits on a desk in a kindergarten classroom where kids work on task socially distanced from each other Wednesday at Southeast Elementary School in Sycamore. Wednesday was the first day at the school that some students were able to attend in-person classes as part of a hybrid learning plan.

UPDATE 10:16 a.m.: Melissa Edwards, spokesperson for the DeKalb County Health Department, said the health department was able to secure 200 more doses of the Pfizer vaccine and can allow walk-ins and have added appointments for today’s clinic. The clinic had been completely booked by 9 a.m. this morning. Edwards said appointments are encouraged. Local health officials have said they expect to add additional Pfizer clinic options throughout the coming weeks.

DeKALB - Teenagers as young as 12 will have a chance to receive their first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine as early as Thursday at Northern Illinois University Convocation Center, confirmed local health officials.

The walk-in clinic will offer Pfizer only, which is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine approved for those younger than 18, and will be Thursday, May 13 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the NIU Convocation Center, 1525 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

Clinics offered by the DeKalb County Health Department do not require those receiving the vaccine to live or work in DeKalb County, and are open to anyone.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the formal go-ahead for Pfizer to begin use in those as young as 12, and officials with the DeKalb County Health Department said they’ll offer the vaccine to teens Thursday, but encouraged anyone wanting it to make an appointment.

Visitors are not required to make a reservation for the walk-in clinic, but because of the high demand for Pfizer vaccine and the health department’s anticipation that the 804 doses currently on hand will run out quickly, those interested in receiving a vaccine are strongly encouraged to make an appointment, according to DeKalb County Health Department spokesperson Melissa Edwards.

Those 12 through 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to receive the vaccine, which will be a first dose.

If you receive a first dose Pfizer vaccine Thursday, you will be expected to return for a second dose June 3, since Pfizer doses are administered with a recommended 21-day window between doses, slightly shorter than waiting period for the Moderna vaccine doses.

To make an appointment, prospective patients can register at https://events.juvare.com/IL-IDPH/

Additional Pfizer clinics will be added to the link above as vaccines are received in the coming weeks, Edwards said.

On Monday, the FDA authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in children as young as 12. Previously, the vaccine only has been available for those 16 and older, while the other two vaccine distributors whose vaccines are authorized for use in the U.S., Johnson & Johnson and Moderna, limit vaccine use to those 18 and older.

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