HOUSTON – Two brothers were the first children to receive COVID-19 vaccinations in person at Texas Children’s Hospital Wednesday morning.
Patrick, 9, and Paxton, 5, of La Marque will receive one-third of the amount of vaccine given to adults in two doses within three weeks. The moment was especially important to Paxton and his parents, because he was battling leukemia throughout the pandemic. The boys received support from Texas Children’s therapy dogs, Pluto and Bailey.
Texas Children’s Hospital announced they received their first shipment of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children Tuesday. The hospital was prepared to administer vaccinations as soon as it received the final approval from the CDC. Go here to schedule a vaccination appointment.
In addition, Walgreens is scheduling appointments as early as Saturday.
READ MORE: Texas Children’s Hospital receives first COVID-19 vaccine shipment for kids
U.S. health officials on Tuesday gave the final signoff to Pfizer’s kid-size COVID-19 shot, a milestone that opened a major expansion of the nation’s vaccination campaign.
The announcement by CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky came only hours after an advisory panel unanimously decided Pfizer’s shots should be opened to the 28 million children in that age group.
RELATED: US gives final clearance to COVID-19 shots for kids 5 to 11
The decision marks the first opportunity for Americans under 12 to get the powerful protection of any COVID-19 vaccine.