Chicago Mass Vaccination Sites To Begin Offering Pfizer Vaccine For Children Age 12 To 15 On Thursday

CHICAGO (CBS) -- With the CDC expected to give final approval for use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in kids age 12 and up on Wednesday, the Chicago Department of Public Health announced it will make the shots available to children 12 and older at its mass vaccination sites on Thursday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 12 to 15, and the CDC is expected to grant full approval on Wednesday. The Pfizer vaccine is already authorized for anyone age 16 and older.

Seven city-operated mass vaccination sites will begin offering the Pfizer vaccine to anyone in that age group starting Thursday, although children under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The following Chicago mass vaccination sites will offer the Pfizer vaccine to youth age 12 and up:

*Vaccination site at American Airlines Conference Center at Gallagher Way is operated by Advocate Aurora.

Walk-ins will be accepted, although appointments can be booked online through www.zocdoc.com/vaccine or by calling 312-746-4835.

The city said many pharmacies also offer Pfizer vaccines for children.

Cook County Health said it will make a public announcement about when it expects to offer the Pfizer vaccine to children ages 12 to 15.

That offering for kids could come later this week. Five mass-vaccination sites in Cook County are already preparing for an anticipated rush for shots by expanding hours this week.

The sites are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. No appointments are necessary.

The following are the mass vaccination sites that will soon provide vaccines for children 12 to 15:

• Matteson - 4647 Promenade Way
• River Grove - Triton College, 2000 5th Ave.
• South Holland - South Suburban College, 15800 State St.
• Des Plaines - 1155 E. Oakton St.
• Forest Park - 7630 W. Roosevelt Rd.

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• Pfizer