Where youths 12 and up can get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Anchorage and Mat-Su

Alaska youths 12 and and older became eligible this week for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine — a development that health officials have called an important step toward protecting children from the virus and slowing transmission community-wide.

Previously, only those 16 and older in Alaska had been eligible for the vaccine.

Most of the vaccine clinics being held in Anchorage over the next few days are open to appointments and walk-ins and will have Pfizer vaccine in stock, local health officials say.

Kids and teens will receive the same dose of vaccine as adults: two shots administered 21 days apart.

[How to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine in Alaska]

[Health officials urge Alaskans to keep following local mask rules after CDC relaxes guidance for vaccinated individuals]

Statewide, parents and others can visit covidvax.alaska.gov or call 907-646-3322 to sign up for a vaccine appointment; new appointments are added regularly. The phone line is staffed from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.

Only Pfizer’s vaccine is approved for children as young as 12. The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved only for those 18 and older.

Below are some of the clinics where parents in Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough can take their kids to get the Pfizer vaccine over the next few days.

In Anchorage

There are plenty of opportunities for Pfizer vaccinations listed at anchoragecovidvaccine.org, which shows the type of vaccine available from each provider. It also lists several walk-in clinics and larger clinics (parents or guardians have to sign consent forms for minors between the ages of 12 and 17, and many providers require them to be present). Here are just a few of the biggest clinics happening over the next few days:

Friday, May 14

Alaska Airlines Center, 3550 Providence Drive, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Shiloh Baptist Church, 855 E. 20th Ave.., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

Dimond Center, 800 E. Dimond Blvd. Suite 199, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Blood Bank of Alaska, 1215 Airport Heights Drive, noon-8 p.m.

Saturday, May 15

Shiloh Baptist Church, 855 E. 20th Ave., 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Alaska Airlines Center, 3550 Providence Drive, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Northway Mall drive-thru, 3101 Penland Parkway, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday, May 16

Alaska Airlines Center, 3550 Providence Drive, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Northway Mall drive-thru, Penland Parkway, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Dimond Center, 800 E. Dimond Blvd. Suite 199, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Additionally, the Anchorage School District is planning to host clinics throughout the summer and will host one at its education center on Saturday, May 22 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In Mat-Su

Daily: Walkup clinics at Capstone Clinic, at the old Sears building in Wasilla, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. weekends

Friday, May 14: Pop-up school clinic, Su Valley Junior/Senior in Talkeetna, noon-4 p.m. (open to anyone 12 and older)

Friday, May 14: Wasilla Middle School, noon-4 p.m. (open to anyone 12 and older)

May 21 and 28: Friday Fling in downtown Palmer, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Varying appointments: Ptarmigan Pediatrics

Vaccine appointment availability at a glance (does not show all appointments available):

(Above: Vaccine appointment portal created by the Anchorage i-team. See full site here.)