LEXINGTON, Ky. — On Tuesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) visited Lafayette High School in Lexington to encourage young people aged 12-17 years old to get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. 

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Andy Beshear visited a Lexington public high school to encourage 12-17 year-olds to get the COVID-19 vaccine

  • On May 10, 2021 the FDA expanded emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine to include 12-15-year-olds

  • Five Fayette County Public School students publicly got the Pfizer vaccine Tuesday to set an example

  • As of Mon., May 17, 2021, 24,061 Kentuckians aged 12 to 17 years old have been vaccinated

“I really am so excited for things to get back to normal,” Lauren Clay Sampson told Spectrum News after she got her first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, which was also her last day of school.

“I wasn’t nervous at all. So many people have gotten it before me,” the sophomore said. 

The 15-year-old was one of five Fayette County Public School students to publicly get the Pfizer vaccine in Lafayette High School’s library because Beshear wants more teens to follow Sampson’s example.

“They protect our young people and their relatives, and they are the key to having a fully normal school year in the fall. Something that I know that everybody is looking forward to, including this dad of a 10 and 11-year-old,” Beshear said during Tuesday’s press conference at Lafayette High School.

While Beshear spoke to encourage young people to get the Pfizer vaccine, the school’s auditorium was vaccinating anyone 12 and up. Five other Fayette County Public High Schools also hosted a pop-up clinic, to make it easier for students to get the vaccine. 

“And on a personal note, my son is gonna turn 12 in June, and I’m personally gonna take him to get this vaccine because I believe it is that safe and that effective,” Beshear said.

Shannon Sampson watched two of her kids get vaccinated, her daughter Lauren Clay and 13-year-old son Ty Sampson. Shannon said she and her husband spoke to their doctor, children’s doctor, and friends who are medical professionals about the vaccine to help weigh the risk. 

“As we made that decision, we really thought through whether the risk was worth the reward, and we do feel like the benefits well-outweigh the risks,” Shannon explained.

After Lauren Clay gets her second dose, she said she is looking forward to seeing more friends and family and traveling, but she will also feel relief.

“The thought of going back to normal and not having to have that looming worry all of the time, it’s just so appetizing,” Lauren Clay said.

Last Monday, the FDA gave emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents aged 12 to 15 years old.

As of Mon., May 17, 1,927,168 Kentuckians have received at least the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That number includes 24,061 young Kentuckians aged 12 to 17 years old. 

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