UNMH holds COVID vaccine clinic for children 5-11

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – COVID vaccines are available to more people than ever before now that boosters have been approved for anyone over 18 and Pfizer vaccines can be given to children ages 5 to 11.

UNMH said they were fully booked for the vaccine drive – folks who didn’t have an appointment were turned away because every dose they had was spoken for.

650 families came to UNMH’s Carrie Tingley Hospital to get their children vaccinated.

“They are very eager to get the shots cause they are ready to get the shots to get back to normal, so they are excited today,” said Alisa Maestas, mom.

Appointment times opened up last week and officials said they were all claimed within a day – but those who did get an appointment said it wasn’t hard once they got online.

“It was really easy, we just went on the vaccine website where I got my shot scheduled on, then I just added the two little ones on. It just took like 5 min, found the shot clinic on the appointment finder and we were good,” said Maestas.

UNMH wanted to make sure the clinic was convenient for parents, so they held it on a Saturday so kids wouldn’t have to miss school and if they do have side effects from the shot they will have Sunday to recover. But in the meantime, families were happy to have the opportunity to get vaccinated.

“It’s exciting that the kids will be able to safely get together,” Maestas said.

All the kids who got vaccinated today, Nov. 20, will get their second dose on Dec.11, so they are fully vaccinated by Christmas– something that is very important to some families.