The Pfizer vaccine trial for kids ages 5 to 11 is underway at Stony Brook Children's Hospital.

Stony Brook is one of 100 trial sites worldwide. There are 25 kids participating at Stony Brook, and they got their first doses last week.

"We're very excited at Stony Brook to be able to offer this vaccine to New York City, Suffolk and Nassau County residents," says Dr. Sharon Nachman, of Stony Brook Children's Hospital. "The families who are enrolling in this trial are incredibly enthusiastic about allowing their children to participate in the study and because it's a phase 2/3 trial, that means out of every three children, two will get vaccine and one will get placebo."

James Barsi, of East Setauket, says his family wanted to do something for the community and prove that the vaccine is safe for kids. Barsi says he also wanted to get his kids vaccinated so life can return back to normal.

"Then I can start playing with my friends," says 8-year-old Daniel Barsi.

Kids who do get the vaccine get the same dose as adults. Researchers will then study two months of safety data and all of that gets reported back to Pfizer.

As of now, children as young as 12 are eligible for the vaccine but Port Jefferson mom Chelsea Finn is hoping that changes soon. She also has two kids participating in the trial.

"We've talked a lot about COVID and the vaccines. My husband and I have been vaccinated for a while," says Finn. "A lot of our family has been vaccinated for a while. So they are kind of the ones left out right now. They were excited to have the opportunity too because they have a good understanding of what that will mean for them once they can be fully vaccinated."