St. Luke’s, LVHN begin to vaccinate children 12 to 15 years old

St. Luke’s University Health Network began vaccinating 12 to 15-year-olds Wednesday afternoon and Lehigh Valley Health Network will start Thursday, the health networks announced.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the usage of the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents Monday, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee issued a favorable recommendation Wednesday afternoon, clearing the vaccine for use on children as young as 12 years old.

St. Luke’s started vaccinating some children in the 12 to 15 age group at its Anderson campus in Bethlehem Township on Wednesday afternoon . Parents were able to schedule appointments for their children starting Wednesday. St. Luke’s spokesman Sam Kennedy said walk-in appointments will start Thursday.

LVHN began allowing parents to schedule vaccine appointments for their 12- to 15-year-olds at all LVHN vaccination sites Wednesday.Walk-ins at all of its vaccination sites will start Thursday.

Children will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to get vaccinated. The COVID-19 vaccinations are free.

The Pfizer shot is the only one approved for children this young. Its authorization expands vaccine eligibility to an estimated 550,000 across Pennsylvania, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Dr. J. Nathan Hagstrom, chief of pediatrics at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, said Pfizer’s vaccine has been proven safe and effective. Hagstrom added the clinical trial data submitted to the FDA demonstrated 100% effectiveness at preventing disease in this age group, which now represents nearly 20% of current COVID-19 infections.

Walk-in vaccinations are allowed at St. Luke’s campuses several days a week and can be viewed on St. Luke’s website. However, not all St. Luke’s campuses currently carry the Pfizer vaccine. Appointments with St. Luke’s can be scheduled on St. Luke’s MyChart app, by calling 1-866-785-8537 and selecting option 7, by texting “VACCINE” to 23762 or through a primary care provider.

Those seeking to get the vaccine for themselves or their child through LVHN can visit one of the networks vaccination clinics with or without an appointment at:

Though appointments are not required for LVHN clinics, vaccine seekers can still register for appointments if they wish by signing on to their MyLVHN account or calling LVHN’s COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at 833-584-6283.

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