High school students 16 and older across Monongalia County’s school district are rolling up their sleeves for their second COVID shot Thursday, May 13.
Clinics are being held throughout the day at Morgantown High, University and Clay-Battelle.
Next week, students who are 12-15 years of age will do the same for their first Pfizer round.
Deputy Superintendent Donna Talerico said she’s glad the district is back in the vaccination business.
“We absolutely want this to happen,” she said Wednesday.
“We have to get those shots in arms so we can go strong into fall.”
The district started mobilizing for inoculations of its younger students a couple of weeks back when it became clear the country was going to receive federal clearance for that to happen.
Talerico said 1,650 Pfizer doses are expected to be delivered to the district this coming Tuesday.
That’s for the 1,500 students who have already registered, plus the older students who didn’t get the shot the first time around but are now reconsidering, she said.
In contrast, there are 2,400 middle school students on the county roll this year, Talerico said.
Both she and Superintendent Eddie Campbell Jr. expect the vax lobbying to continue through the summer.
“Some just aren’t ready yet,” she said.
“I do think more and more people will come around as they appreciate the safety and the efficacy of the shots.”
Getting students and families to come around is critical, she said, since COVID doesn’t appear to be going away.
Students and staffers are still presenting with positive symptoms, resulting in hundreds of quarantines over past months as a result.
Local health officials said last week that 76% of the state’s U.K. and California variants of the coronavirus are in the county.
The district also finished last week with nearly 200 students and staffers in quarantine, which stemmed from six positive cases across the district.
In the meantime, shots will be administered May 19 at University High, Suncrest Middle and Clay-Battelle.
Morgantown High and South Middle are on the bill for May 20 and the district will close out the clinics May 21 at Westwood Middle and Mountaineer Middle.
The high schools will be back in the mix to accommodate the aforementioned students who now want the dosage.
Parents may register their children for the vaccine by visiting the district’s website: https://boe.mono.k12.wv.us/.
“We just want to make it as easy as we can for our kids and our families,” Talerico said.
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