Durango 12- to 15-year-olds roll up sleeves for shot in the arm

Friday, May 14, 2021 5:00 AM

Vaccination clinics in La Plata County open to adolescents

Celia Gallavan, 12, was a little worried about getting her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Thursday at a clinic at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, but she said holding hands with her mom, April Zion, helped. (Terrance Siemon/BCI Media)

Terrance Siemon/BCI Media

Celia Gallavan, 12, was a little nervous about getting her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Thursday, but it was “like a flu shot” she said after the prick was over.

Celia, a seventh grader at St. Columba School, figured the shot was important to protect her younger brother and sister at home and her grandmother who she sees frequently.

Ben Barrett, 12, was eager about getting one step closer to a return to normalcy in his life.

A sixth grader at St. Columba School, Ben hoped he wouldn’t feel any aftereffects from the vaccination. St. Columba will hold a fundraiser Friday, and he didn’t want to miss it.

Celia and Ben were among the first 12- to 15-year-olds who received the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in La Plata County.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration approved use of the Pfizer vaccine for adolescents 12 to 15 years of age.

“I was kind of nervous. Shots are nerve-wracking,” Celia said. “I held my mom’s hand while I got the vaccine, and it was fine.”

For Celia, getting her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine meant “we’re getting one step closer to solving this pandemic.”

Ben Barrett, 12, said he had received a flu shot a couple months ago, and wasn’t too stressed about the COVID-19 shot, but he wanted to attend a school fundraiser at St. Columba School on Friday, so he was hopeful he wouldn’t feel any aftereffects. (Terrance Siemon/BCI Media)

Terrance Siemon/BCI Media

Normalcy is important for Ben, too.

On his birthday, he gets to have a sleepover party, and the coronavirus has put that on hold for the past year.

Liane Jollon, executive director of San Juan Basin Public Health, said up to a half of all transmissions of the virus are now occurring among the school-age population, and vaccinating 12- to 17-year-olds should put a dent in that.

Pfizer’s approval for adolescents should also help keep schools in session for in-person learning and make summer activities a little more normal for families and children.

“We’ve learned how important in-person schooling is for kids, not only academically but for the social and emotional well-being, for sports, for socializing. So many important things happen inside those four school walls,” she said.

Having juveniles receive vaccinations also helps parents, who will be less likely to have to stay home to tend to sick children and decrease quarantines at schools.

“It gives families better control of their lives, more power over what’s in store for them,” she said.

Tammy Sklar, with Jogan Health Solutions and site manager of Thursday’s clinic held at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, said the parents were perhaps the most excited about inoculations opening for their teens.

“Parents have been telling us they’ve been waiting for this day to come,” Sklar said.

Celia Gallavan, 12, shows her COVID-19 vaccination card. (Terrance Siemon/BCI Media)

Terrance Siemon/BCI Media

Celia’s mother, April Zion, said she hopes COVID-19 vaccines will be approved for younger children in time for the family to travel to Denver this summer.

When Celia’s younger brother, Daniel, 9, and younger sister, Ruby, 8, are vaccinated, she will feel more secure not only in traveling but doing normal family things together – like having a movie night.

Ben Barrett, 12, thinks he was the first student in his sixth grade class at St. Columba School to get a COVID-19 vaccination. (Terrance Siemon/BCI Media)

Terrance Siemon/BCI Media

Ben’s mom, Katy Kopec, a speech pathologist and owner of The Good Fight boxing gym, said Ben’s shot not only brings the family closer to full vaccination, but it helps protect the gym’s elderly clients and clients with Parkinson’s disease who use boxing workouts as physical therapy.

“It hasn’t been easy boxing with mask on, but our priority is not to endanger our clients,” she said.

parmijo@durangoherald.com

Upcoming Pfizer clinics

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for 12- to 15-year-olds. Here is a list of upcoming COVID-19 vaccination clinics using the Pfizer vaccine in Durango:

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 15