Preparations Continue for Possible COVID-19 Vaccines for Ages 12-15

A federal advisory committee is expected to recommend the use of the Pfizer vaccine for children between the ages of 12 and 15. Pfizer has already been in use for ages 16 and older.

North Texas health and government officials have been working on plans to prepare for possible increased eligibility.

“We are monitoring what is going on with the FDA,” said Michael Potts, MedStar risk and safety manager.

MedStar has held vaccine clinics since they were made available and are prepared to help with the increased vaccines when needed.

“Because of our flexibility, we can administer the Pfizer to the pediatric or adolescent population and also use the Moderna that we have, which we have plenty, and do their parents,” Potts said. “So, we can do a two for one and take care of an entire family if they show up.”

We do have storage capacity, so we’ve got all the systems in place. We’ve got the ultracold storage,” Potts added. “We do have some Pfizer that’s in stock right now and we’re going to start reaching out to some of our pediatric providers to see what they are doing as well.”

Some groups including summer sports groups, vacation bible schools and possibly summer camps may offer clinics for easy access for children, teens and their parents. That is a model that would be ideal for a MedStar mobile vaccination clinic.

“We had different operations at different churches where we were extremely successful in vaccinating 700 to 800 people at a single site,” Potts said. “Because we have the ability to mobilize and we’ve got a small scale that we can travel with – all of our stuff is already packed and ready to go.”

Want to Get on a Vaccine Waitlist?

County health departments have launched waitlists for adults 16 years old and over.

You can register to recieve the vaccination in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. Links are below:

Waitlist Links: Collin - Search Waitlist | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant

You do not need to be a resident of the county to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in that county -- registration is open to anyone in Texas. For those without internet access, Tarrant County is also taking registrations by phone at 817-248-6299. In Dallas County, call the DCHHS vaccine hotline at 1-855-IMMUNE9 (1-855-466-8639). In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.

For a more detailed breakdown of who is included in each priority group in Texas, see this page from the Texas DSHS.