A line of adolescents and their parents stood in the drizzling rain outside a Decatur pediatricians’ office Wednesday, awaiting their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Parents of more than a thousand children aged 12 to 15 seized the opportunity for their children to get a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the DeKalb Pediatric Center, which partnered with the local city school system. For many, the pinprick was the first ticket on a journey to freedom after more than a year of life in lockdown.
“I haven’t really been able to do anything. I haven’t gotten to hang out with my friends,” said Rozzie Anderson, 15, a sophomore at Decatur High School who had just gotten a shot with her younger brother, Matthew, 13. Rozzie’s cheery outlook contrasted with the overcast sky: She was thinking about the sleepaway camp that both are planning to attend this summer, seeing cousins for the first time in more than a year.
