COVID vaccination of teens in Louisiana is underway, opening the door to normal life.Coronavirus

Three freshmen from Isidor Newman School gathered at the Ochsner Medical Center in Old Jefferson on Thursday. They were usually in class, masked and distanced at their assigned desks. Instead, they received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine. It was newly available to their age group just a few hours ago.

After a brief discussion about height, they decided to go first because Lillian Gorman, 15, is the oldest and tallest. The teens straightened each other’s necklaces, fixed their masks, and changed the order with needles as the camera clicked and the mother watched.

Lillian gave up her thumb after the needle entered. Croix Hill, 15, said he was ready to return to normal. 14-year-old Ava Kreutziger said she was ready to see her smile again.

“You don’t understand it until it’s gone, but it’s really important to be able to get close to each other with that touch,” Ava said. “How do you really know someone when you can’t see half of your face?”

The three freshmen were one of the first 12 to 15 years old to be vaccinated with the coronavirus vaccine in Louisiana after the US Food and Drug Administration approved an emergency use on Monday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended it on Wednesday, and Governor John Bell recommended it. Edwards gave a go-ahead.

Oxner plans to inoculate 55 newly eligible children throughout the healthcare system on Thursday, with 548 expected over the next seven days. The New Orleans Children’s Hospital reserves 60 vaccines daily for the age group.

At Baton Rouge’s Oxner, the health chain plans to hold a vaccine clinic on specific days, but does not reserve a specific dose for that age group.

Dr. Truc Dinh, a pediatrician at Oxner’s Blue Bonnet Clinic, says parents who may be worried about Pfizer’s vaccine for teens and 12-year-olds can still get sick and spread the virus to others. He said he wants you to understand that injections are important because of their sex.

“Study in more than 2,000 adolescents has shown to be 100% effective in preventing COVID-19 and its spread,” said Dinh, who said that the immune response between the ages of 12 and 15 is actually Is an adult.

Dr. Michael Bolton, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the Hour Lady of Lake Regional Medical Center in Button Rouge, said in hospitals that children with a rare COVID-19-related complication known as the Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome. He said he was still seen occasionally.

“You hear a lot [COVID-19] Not too serious for children … but too many children died from it, “he said.

Patients with Bolton vary in severity, but rare, poorly understood distress has proven fatal in Louisiana and other states.

He said it was one of the reasons parents advised their children to be vaccinated if they were eligible, and that there were shots that would allow them to resume normal social life.

Children over the age of 12 require parental consent, but the Pfizer vaccine is currently the only vaccine allowed for children and is available wherever it is available. The Louisiana Health Department website listed at least 13 sites where Pfizer shots were available on Thursday and 20 on Friday. The federal website has shown that it is available in Walgreens, Wal-Mart, large hospital systems, and many clinics in the state.

The children of Dr. Jennifer Avegno, New Orleans Health Director, were given two doses around 11:00 am. Avegno said many parents she knew wanted their children to be vaccinated, especially when summer activities began.

“Like adults, we’ll see people who are fed up,” Avegno said, adding that it’s the perfect time for kids going to summer camps to take shots. Second dose.

However, after the initial demand, she predicted that vaccination coverage would decline, as in adults.

“Summer will be tricky,” Avegno said. “When we get back to school, we hope there will be plenty of events and opportunities to get it in the pediatrician’s office.”

Louisiana has just under 250,000 children between the ages of 12 and 15, and not all, like adults, can be vaccinated. According to a poll quoted by the CDC on Wednesday, 40% to 60% of parents plan to vaccinate their children. Parents usually vaccinate their children at a higher rate than they do for other illnesses, but report that the coronavirus vaccine has the same or slightly lower intentions.

The first resistance may come from a child or an adult.

Ava, a Newman student, says, “If someone is Antibacs, it’s not standard, but I know someone who doesn’t want to be vaccinated.”

Some children wanted it, “their parents didn’t let them get it,” Croix said.

For those who lined up on Thursday, there were many reasons to be eager for a shot.

Cola Evans, a 14-year-old freshman at Benjamin Franklin High School, wants to return to the plan canceled by the coronavirus. In most cases she looks forward to feeling more comfortable.

“I want to spend as much normal summer as possible,” said Cola, who was vaccinated in the morning at a children’s hospital. “Last year I was very confused. I just want to go to a place and do something without worrying about getting sick.”

Others are ready to leave the house.

“I want to go to Italy, Canada and Alaska,” said Amelia Wily, a 15-year-old freshman at Lise Frances de la Nouvelle Orleans. She got her first shot at a children’s hospital.

One of Newman’s freshmen, Lillian wants to return to subtle humor.

“I’m a very sarcastic person. If no one can see my face and I can’t know I’m completely joking, it’s very difficult to be sarcastic.”

Parent Valerie McGinley, whose 15-year-old daughter was to be vaccinated at Crescent Care in New Orleans, said that most of the time, children want to do what they normally do. Vaccines open the door.

“She wants to meet her friends without a mask, so don’t worry,” McGinley said. “And maybe if her friend’s family is vaccinated and they tell us, they will actually oversleep.”

Youssef Rddad Contributed to this report.