DC Mayor Bowser urges all 12- to 15-year-olds to get boosted

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Health, led by Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, are encouraging all 12- to 15-year-old residents -- who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on or before August 6, 2021 -- to get a booster dose as soon as possible.

"The experience that people are having, especially with this Omicron variant, when they're fully vaccinated is vastly better than when they're not vaccinated at all, and even better when they're boosted," said Mayor Bowser. "Our emphasis is on getting everybody the booster who is eligible."

Beginning January 6, 2022, all eligible 12- to 15-year-olds will be able to obtain their booster dose at District-operated library walk-up sites, pop-up sites, and pediatric clinics listed on vaccinate.dc.gov.

What to know about getting a booster shot in the DMV

The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has approved the Pfizer COVID-19 booster dose for eligible 12- to 15-year-olds nationwide. Currently, Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is the only vaccine approved for people younger than 18.

DC Health wants to ensure residents know that the District has plenty of vaccines available. Everyone 5 and older is encouraged to get their primary series of the COVID-19 vaccine, and those 12 and older should get a booster dose as soon as possible. 

According to recent CDC data, fully vaccinated people with boosters are 10 times less likely than unvaccinated people to get infected with COVID-19. Fully vaccinated people with boosters are also 20 times less likely than unvaccinated people to die from COVID-19.