It's a day many families have long waited for. Mayo Clinic in Rochester began COVID-19 vaccinations for children 5‒11 on Friday, Nov. 5.

The vaccine, which has been authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, has been shown to be at least 91% in children 5‒11.

For many families, this vaccine will give them more peace of mind and confidence to do more of the things they want to do.

Watch: COVID-19 vaccinations for kids 5-11 begin.

Journalists: Broadcast-quality soundbites and b-roll of the Mayo Clinic walk-in COVID-19 vaccine clinic are in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy, "Mayo Clinic News Network." 

The Mayo Clinic News Network spoke with Emily DeBoom, a mother who brought her 7- and 9-year-old kids in to receive their COVID-19 vaccines.

"It's a relief. It feels so good to have them be able to have the extra protection against COVID-19. Now we can do some of the things that we were avoiding, such as seeing our baby cousin who is not able to get vaccinated yet. So we're looking forward to seeing him," she says.

Her kids weren't the only ones rolling up their sleeves. DeBoom, who is a Mayo Clinic staff member, and her husband, Brandon DeBoom, also received their booster vaccinations, making it a family affair.

"We wanted to support them by being a good role model. This is what we're doing, and this is what you can do also. Showing them that it's OK, that it's going to pinch, it's going to hurt a little, but it's a good thing to do."

Learn more about Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 vaccination plan for children.

Related posts:

• Tips to help make getting a COVID-19 vaccine less scary for kids"
• Debunking myths about COVID-19 vaccinations and kids"
• COVID-19 vaccine authorized for kids 5-11"

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For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a nonpatient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date. 

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

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