A middle school library is usually a quiet place.
But after Ohio officials gave the green light for kids aged 12 to 15 to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the library inside Edgewood Middle School in Wooster was abuzz with young teens lining up to get their first dose of the shot.
About 75 students who signed up for the vaccine were among the first adolescents in the state to get it.
鈥淕etting the shot felt fine. It wasn鈥檛 scary or anything, but it also felt like a little bit of relief,鈥� said 13-year-old Melia Brown, a seventh-grader at Edgewood.
Visiting her grandparents and having sleepovers with her friends were at the top of her list of reasons for getting vaccinated, she said, but most important to her was feeling safer at home.
鈥淢y dad is a diabetic, so we鈥檝e been having to be very careful with who we interact with and wearing masks and everything,鈥� Brown said.
Brown also missed both her twelfth and thirteenth birthday parties due to the pandemic, she added. She has big plans for when she turns 14 next year.
鈥淚 want to go to a trampoline park, and I would like to have a sleepover,鈥� Brown said.
A simple plan - but one she has wanted for nearly two years since the pandemic began.
Tommy Wilds, another seventh-grader, was excited to get the vaccine so he can be more social.
鈥淧laying out with friends, having longer sports seasons, going to camps, stuff like that,鈥� Wilds said. 鈥淣ot many kids our age have gotten it, so I was a bit nervous, but I鈥檓 glad I got it.鈥�
Other students were also nervous to get the shot, or didn鈥檛 want to get it at all.
Twelve-year-old Kiessa Davis, another seventh-grader, said most of her friends weren鈥檛 planning to get the vaccine.
鈥淭hey were kind of laughing at me because I was getting it,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淣o matter really what people say about it, it鈥檚 like, it鈥檚 a vaccination. It鈥檚 going to help me not catch COVID. So like, if you guys want to get sick, you guys can get sick, but I鈥檓 going to stay COVID free.鈥�
The Edgewood students received the shot as part of an in-school clinic facilitated by Akron Children鈥檚 Hospital.
The health system has held clinics in at least 20 schools across Northeast Ohio since 16-year-olds and up became eligible to receive the shot in Ohio back in March, said Michele Wilmoth, director of school health services for the hospital.
鈥淲e鈥檝e done [clinics] in gyms, we鈥檝e done it in a classroom, we鈥檝e done it in a small clinic, we can do it as a drive-by, we can do whatever,鈥� Wilmoth said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e flexible, and every school environment is different.鈥�
The health system has run clinics in Akron Public Schools as well as suburban districts like Stow, Woodridge and Tallmadge.
The nurses are currently giving out second doses to high school students and offering first doses to younger high school students who are now eligible, Wilmoth added.
They鈥檙e also making stops at middle schools, such as Edgewood, and will continue hosting clinics into the summer, she said.
鈥淲e need to go back to the district and try to catch up any others, and anybody else who's changed their mind, because we want to just be another option for families to come in an environment where they're familiar, where for many it's in walking distance, that they can come to school and get their vaccine,鈥� Wilmoth said.
Area Hospitals Also Offering Vaccines For Young Teens
Adolescents can also schedule vaccine appointments at several hospitals, including Akron Children鈥檚, Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and MetroHealth, officials said.
Other schools in Northeast Ohio are partnering with pharmacies such as Giant Eagle to hold vaccine clinics specifically for students.
The Educational Service Center (ESC) of Northeast Ohio is coordinating pharmacy clinics with schools in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Portage and Summit counties, said ESC's director of operations Jennifer Dodd.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to start with in-stores,鈥� Dodd said. 鈥淲e may look a couple of in-district clinics if the numbers warrant it.鈥�
It is more efficient to plan clinics in pharmacies that serve multiple school districts, Dodd added, because turnout for the vaccine has been relatively low thus far for kids aged 16 and up.
Mass vaccination in the school environment may not be the most effective way to go now, Dodd said.
Turnout Differs Depending On The School District
Wilmoth at Akron Children鈥檚 said there has been significant interest in some schools they serve, while not as much at others.
At a recent clinic at Firestone Community Learning Center, a high school in Akron, 17-year-old senior Jazmin Harvey said she was nervous about getting her second dose.
鈥淚 think everyone is pretty nervous. We don鈥檛 really know, because it was developed so quickly, so we鈥檙e not sure if it鈥檚 actually going to work, or if in a few years, we鈥檙e going to get one of those commercials, like, 鈥榠f you ever had the vaccine, just call this number,鈥欌�� Harvey said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just a little bit nervous about what鈥檚 to come.鈥�
After receiving the shot, though, Harvey felt much calmer, she said. She decided to get vaccinated because she wants to hang out with her friends more and feel safer when she heads off to college, she said.
鈥淚 feel settled, if that makes sense,鈥� Harvey said. 鈥淛ust eased about all the craziness that鈥檚 going on. It鈥檚 pretty chaotic, so I鈥檓 just happy that I鈥檓 covered and that I know that I鈥檓 safe at this point, moving forward.鈥�
Firestone senior Clay Peets also received his second dose at the in-school clinic. He was not nervous to get the shot, he said, and was even encouraging his 14-year-old younger brother to get the vaccine now that he is also eligible.
鈥淚 think the younger kids should get it as well,鈥� Peets said. 鈥淓ven if you鈥檙e at that age, I know your immune system is pretty strong, but you don鈥檛 want to take anything for granted.鈥�
Some Parents Worry About The Safety Of The Shot
Throughout Akron Children鈥檚 clinics, some students have declined due to skepticism or uncertainty about the vaccine, and kids have expressed concerns to the nurses that the COVID-19 vaccines were developed too quickly, Wilmoth said.
鈥淲e go back to the science and talk about how 鈥� it actually wasn't rushed; it's just that we had plenty of resources and government support enabled to do the same scientific process for developing the vaccine that we always had,鈥� she said.
Still, most kids are less nervous about the vaccine itself and more scared of getting shots in general, Wilmoth added.
Hospital officials are also fielding many questions from parents about the safety of the vaccine in children, said Dr. Mike Bigham, chief quality officer at Akron Children鈥檚.
鈥淯nfortunately, because the vaccine is relatively new, we can't answer the questions like, 鈥榳hat might happen to my child three years from now?鈥� 鈥� We're very honest about the fact that we can't answer those questions,鈥� Bigham said.
鈥淚 often get asked the question, 鈥榳hat would you do if it were your child?鈥� 鈥� And what I've shared when I'm asked that question is, I've got a 16-year-old son, and we've chosen to get him vaccinated and we're really happy with that decision. I made that decision based on my understanding of the science and based on what our family believes is the right thing for our son,鈥� Bigham added.
In clinical trials, the vaccine was deemed safe and 100% effective in adolescents, according to a news release from Pfizer.
Adolescents are a big piece of the puzzle to reaching an end in the pandemic, Bigham said, because while they typically do not report severe outcomes from COVID-19, but they can spread it to more vulnerable people, and there are also concerns with some of the long-haul symptoms of COVID-19 in young adults.
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