NEW ORLEANS– It was a monumental day for the City’s Health Department Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno. Her two teenage daughters got their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Her 15-year old said, “I think it is super great because a lot of teens want to hang out and now we can do it with a layer of safety.”

“It has been difficult. A bunch of parents have been vaccinated, but children hadn’t been vaccinated yet, and I feel like it is more safe,” Dr. Avegno’s 12-year old daughter said.

Dr. Avegno’s 12 and 15-year old daughters are now part of the age group that the FDA authorized to get the Pfizer vaccine to fight COVID-19.

“This means my whole family is able to be vaccinated, which is really exciting for us all, but it also means a large portion of the community can now protect themselves,” Dr. Avegno said.

She went on to say, “I’m proud of my daughters and their friends for getting vaccinated. By vaccinating your children you are significantly lessening the chance that we will see future or more deadly outbreaks.”

Doctors understand why some parents might have some hesitancy about the vaccine, but ultimately it is about protecting your children.

“I understand the hesitancy, but the safety profile of the vaccine is unbelievable. In history, it’ll go down as one of the safest vaccines available to mankind,” Dr. Leron Finger at Children’s Hospital New Orleans said.

As for Dr. Avegno’s daughters there is no hesitancy here!

“I’m glad that I can do things that I wasn’t able to do before,” Dr. Avegno’s 15-year old daughter said.

“I’m very excited that I got my first dose and I can’t wait to get my second dose,” Dr. Avegno’s 12-year old daughter said.

Children’s Hospital New Orleans will be offering vaccines to those 12-15 by appointment, seven days a week. The vaccines will also be available at several of their clinics around New Orleans.