Children under the age of 12 at DHR Health became among the first kids in the Valley to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

The vaccinations happened after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved child-size doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5 to 11 on Tuesday.

“I just want to live normal now because this pandemic really changed how we go outside," vaccine recipient Itati Mendez said.

The vaccine clinic had around 50 parents lined up with their child in hand outside DHR conference center early Wednesday morning. By noon, more parents arrived to get their children vaccinated.

"It shows that the youth is ready to be vaccinated,” Chandra Gonzalez, a parent who arrived to have her child vaccinated, said at the clinic. “They're willing to do their part as well as all of us doing our part to get the vaccine."

Data shows Pfizer’s Covid vaccine is 91% effective in kids who are five to 11 years old. Kids will need to come back for a second dose 21 days after receiving the first dose.

The vaccine clinic for 5-11 years old will run until 8 p.m. Wednesday and will pick back up Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.