Albertans between the ages of 12 and 17 can now receive their COVID-19 booster shots.

As of yesterday eligibility opened up for this age bracket as long as it's been at least five months since they received their second dose.

Owner of Fireside Pharmacy, Gunjan Dave says they have already administered several boosters to eligible teens and tweens.

"There are quite a few kids that are coming in from that age group who are eligible for their boosters and we are excited about it," explains Dave.

While severe outcomes for this particular age group remain lower than immunocompromised youth or older Albertans, Dave says that a third dose offers better protection against the highly contagious Omicron variant.

"According to the Alberta Health Services published data the effectiveness becomes lower over time," explains Dave. "After five or six months they believe the effectiveness goes down by up to 50 per cent.

Dave goes on to say that with the lifting of mask mandates and easing of COVID restrictions, it's a good idea to have that additional layer of protection.

To date, Alberta currently has a high vaccination rate amongst this age bracket with 86.6 per cent of Albertans age 12 and over having received two shots.

Dave says that Fireside Pharmacy is offering walk-in Pfizer vaccinations for youth who are eligible, based on stock availability.

"We have quite a lot of stock right now so that's not an issue at the moment," explains Dave. "They can just show their Alberta Health Cards and proof of address and we are just doing walk-ins at the moment."

Dave reiterates that the vaccine has proven to be safe and effective and he says that having a booster will increase your level of protection against having any form of COVID.

Fireside Pharmacy is located at Unit 50, 5102 Fireside Gate and they're open from Monday to Saturday.