BELLEVUE, Wash. — Hundreds of teenagers and their parents showed up at Sammamish High School Saturday to get the COVID-19 vaccine at a pop-up event organized by the Bellevue School District.
Organizers partnered with Safeway and Albertsons to offer the shot to students 16 and older.
Mehr Grewal, an eighth-grader in the district, lead the charge to inform students about the shot, which was recently approved for kids as young as 12.
“I had an amazing experience and I just felt so proud to be part of this effort towards ending this pandemic,” Mehr said.
RELATED: Everyone 12 and older now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines in Washington
“So many young people, me and my peers, have been feeling like there is no hope for this to end. We’ve been in this for over a year, so we really want to send the message that we went into this together and we will come out of this together as a community,” he continued.
Although the vaccine isn't required, medical experts are saying it's safe and effective for kids.
“Now that we have more and more data coming out we can effectively tell the parents ‘no, it’s safe, go ahead and take it.’ Because we have seen the efficacy of this vaccine for the last one year – it has worked fantastic,” said Dr. Neeta Jain a pediatrician with Snoqualmie Ridge Medical Clinic.
By mid-afternoon, more than 800 people passed through the high school cafeteria.
The vaccine is just one tool in the fight against COVID-19 as many districts including Bellevue plan for full in-person learning come fall of this year.