City Walgreens dispensing COVID vax to teens but they must have appointment

Walgreens on South Main is one of the sites across the state offering the Pfizer shot for 12-15-yeare-olds. (Courtesy photo)

CONCORD - Starting today the State of New Hampshire will open appointments in VINI, the state's COVID-19 vaccine scheduling and appointment management website, for individuals 12- to 15-year-olds, the governor's office announced on Wednesday.

Following FDA authorization and a vote by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now available for individuals between 12 and 15 years of age. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has previously been available to anyone 16 years of age and older.
"Our teams have been preparing to expand eligibility to individuals between the ages of 12 and 15 years old for weeks now and are ready to hit the ground running tomorrow," said Governor Chris Sununu. "The vaccine is safe, it is effective, and it remains a vital tool in our efforts against COVID-19. We encourage all families to consider vaccinating their children, and to have those one-on-one conversations with their doctors should they have any questions."
Starting today, parents and guardians will be able to register and schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for their children aged 12 to 15 years old. Same-day appointments are available at some vaccination clinics.
Anyone under 18 must have consent from a parent or guardian. This can be verbal consent from the parent or guardian onsite at the time of the vaccination, written consent that can be filled out by the parent or guardian in advance or while onsite, or an electronic consent form that can be signed by the parent or guardian at the time of registration.
Due to FDA emergency use authorization requirements, recipients under the age of 18 years old may only receive the Pfizer vaccine, which is available at the following locations:

• All state-managed fixed sites and Walgreens locations: The Rochester pharmacy is part of the network dispensing the shots, but applicants must reserve their time through the VINI system, a pharmacist employee said today. They are not accepting walk-ins.
• Androscoggin Valley Hospital (Berlin)
• Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital (Colebrook)
• Weeks Medical Center (Lancaster/Whitefield)
• Littleton Regional Healthcare (Littleton)
• Huggins Hospital (Wolfeboro)
• Memorial Hospital (North Conway)
• Concord Hospital - Laconia (Laconia)
• Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (Lebanon)

There are more than 25,000 first-dose appointments still available in VINI prior to Memorial Day.