FISHERS, Ind. — Fishers was one of the first local communities to get a shipment of the pediatric Pfizer vaccine. Doses arrived Tuesday night, and shots started on a walk-in basis Wednesday morning.
By afternoon, a decent line of kids and their parents had formed out the door of the Fishers Health Department vaccination site in the old Marsh supermarket at 116th Street and Brooks School Road.
"I think getting the school-aged kids, the rest of the school-aged kids, is so important with everybody feeling comfortable with having their kids in school and being able to really move forward," said Fishers Health Department Director Monica Heltz.
Eleven-year-old Catherine Benko came with her dad right away Wednesday.
She was the third child in Fishers to get the low-dose Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5-11.
Within seconds, she had her first dose.
And her family said they found relief.
"It didn't hurt at all. My mom was like really wanting me to get it, so I just wanted to get it so she would stop bugging me about it," Benko said with a giggle.
"Get it in, get it done, especially because of the holidays and all that coming up and seeing relatives trying to keep everyone as safe as possible," her dad, Michael Benko, said. "Also, Catherine does a lot of dance and ballet, so getting her vaccinated was important so it wouldn't disrupt that. And also, we have two younger girls as well, so trying to have as many in our household vaccinated as possible."
The pediatric vaccine is like a final puzzle piece for Ayela Salhuddin's family.
The third-grader is their youngest child, and everyone else is already protected.
"I think we just wanted to move on! You know, we're all vaccinated, double vaccinated and boostered. And, we just wanted the same protection for Ayela," said Ayela's dad, Faisal Salhuddin.
It's why just hours after Pfizer's vaccine received CDC approval for younger kids, the Salhuddin's joined dozens of other Fishers families at the vaccination site.
"They were like really, really excited," Ayela said.
"We've been waiting for a long time, been excited for a long time, so [we're] glad the day is here," her dad said.
Within about two hours after opening the clinic Wednesday, the line started to wind out the door. Walk-ins were quite popular. Appointments are recommended for children starting Thursday.
Parents have to accompany their children to the site.
Everything inside is color-coded for staff and patients to differentiate doses.
The Pfizer pediatric vials, for ages 5-11, are in orange.
Also, there's a bit of a different strategy for the little ones getting their shots: Kids get to pick out a toy from a basket while the nurses do their work.
That was a comfort for 8-year-old Ayela.
"We're trying to make it kid-friendly," Heltz said.
"At first, I was kind of scared because I don't really like shots. But like, I just got distracted, and it just felt like a little pinch," she said.
Catherine got toys for her younger sisters – as well as that shot her mom, especially, had been waiting for.
"She just really wanted it to be out for my group because I was like right under 12 when they let 12 and up get it, so she wanted me to be able to get it too. So, she's happy now that it's 5 to 11 I think," Catherine said.
Both families capped off their first dose with a photo finish, taking a selfie in front of a backdrop declaring "I got my shot."
