Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s 6-year-old son received his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday.
Wu and her son, Blaise, made a visit to the family vaccination clinic at Prince Hall Grand Lodge. The clinic is being run by the Boston Public Health Commission and the Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center.
Blaise got his shot 18 days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authorized the use of Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 on Nov. 2.
“The vaccine is the most important tool we have to keep schools open and keep everyone safe in our communities,” Wu said in a statement. “Now that children ages five and older are eligible for the vaccine, even more families have the chance to do our part to end this pandemic. As we head into the winter months and the holiday season, let’s all move quickly to get our kids vaccinated and get our boosters so everyone can enjoy the holidays.”
According to city officials, 14% of children ages 5 to 11 in Boston have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since Nov. 2, and nearly 67% of all Boston residents are fully vaccinated.
Officials say, however, that Boston continues to see disparities by neighborhood and race, and that they are supporting community-based organizations across the city’s neighborhoods to close those gaps.
“We have noted a recent increase in COVID-19 cases community-wide. Though very rare, COVID-19 in children can result in severe complications, including hospitalization and death. Research has shown that vaccination in kids is more than 90% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection,” Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, executive director of the BPHC, said in a statement. “As a doctor and a mother of a 5-year-old who has received her first dose of vaccine, I strongly encourage parents and guardians to have their children vaccinated.”
The Boston Public Health Commission is supporting seven family COVID-19 vaccination clinics across the city, including the site at Prince Hall Grand Lodge in Dorchester. The other sites, which offer both pediatric vaccines and adult boosters.