All New Jersey residents age 16 and up now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine

All New Jersey residents who are 16 years old or older are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Ocean City High School junior Sophia Tucker, 16, received her shot on Monday at the megasite in Atlantic City.
“I really wanted it for a really long time,” Tucker says. “We are going back [to school] full time now and a lot of kids are getting quarantine still. So I feel it’ll make me feel safer."
Getting the COVID vaccine for their children is a major decision for parents. But it was an easy one to make for the Tucker family.
“You know your chances of getting, having problems for the actual virus are way higher than any possible risk with vaccination,” says Tucker’s father Brad.
Pfizer’s clinical trials have shown that it is safe for children who are 16 or older. Health experts say that there is no reason to believe that the vaccine would affect a child’s fertility.
VACCINE INFORMATION: Check to see if you are eligible
APPOINTMENT INFORMATION: Where and how to get vaccinated
Brad Tucker is a physician himself and says that he and his wife have confidence in getting both of their daughter vaccinated.
“I felt the fertility thing was debunked and there was no proof to it,” he says.
The Pfizer vaccine is currently the only one that is approved for teenagers. Teens must be with a parent to get the shot.
The Atlantic City megasite is administering 3,000-4,000 shots per day. Around 217,000 people have received vaccinations at the location since January. And it is now easier to get an appointment.
Clinic manager Sherry Bragg says that she fully supports the effort to vaccinate teens.
“People last year didn’t get to go to prom, some didn’t go to graduation. These vaccinations are powerful for people to get back to the normalcy we miss,” she says.
Pfizer has continued the clinical trial. The company is expected to soon ask the Food and Drug Administration for approval to give the shot to those as young as 12.