COLUMBIA, S.C. — One Columbia teen is encouraging others to get the COVID-19 vaccine after she received her first dose last week.
Last week the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 12 to 15-year-olds to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Amelia Owens, 13, was excited to be included in the new age group.
"I was nervous to get it just in case I thought it had hurt or something. I was happy and relieved to get it, to finally be able to get the vaccine," the 13-year-old said.
Owens said she had lots of emotions as she received her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine last week at Prisma Health vaccination site at Colonial Life. After filling out some forms, she was sent to a table to get her vaccine.
"The nurse was very kind helpful, she explained what she was going to do and gave me the shot, and it didn’t even hurt" Owens said.
Now that she has one shot down, she hopes others her age will get it too.
“That’s an age group where they want to be with their friends, they want to be at school, they want a more normal life and this is the way to get there," Registered Nurse Deb McLean said.
McLean is also a lead at the Colonial Life Prisma Health vaccination site and said so far, she’s been happy with the turnout for the newly approved 12 to 15 age group.
"We’ve had a lot of 12-15-year-olds come, we usually see them a little later in the afternoon," McLean said. "They’ve been getting here after school, but we are seeing them more and more every day.”
For some families, McLean said they’ve made it an event to do together.
"People started showing up immediately, in fact, they showed up days before in anticipation of it, so I do think they go back, they talk to their friends and their families talk to other families and, so we’ve really had a great out pouring of students," McLean said.
For Owens, the decision to get the vaccine was an easy one. Now she is encouraging her friends to get the life saving shot.
"I definitely hope people my age and even not my age get the vaccine."
Pfizer is currently the only FDA approved vaccine for this age group. According to the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) their latest data shows 6,622 South Carolina residents ages 12-15 have received their first shot.