Gloucester schools to host vaccine clinics for teens
May 14—Local COVID-19 vaccine clinics will be held for students 12 and older this school year.
Gloucester's Health Department and School District have partnered up to host clinics at Gloucester High and O'Maley Innovation Middle schools. Pfizer vaccine doses are being made available through the state for any student who wishes to receive a vaccine.
There is no cost to be vaccinated.
"We are thrilled to be able to support our school district in this way and provide students with a local, convenient, familiar place to receive their vaccine," Public Health Director Karin Carroll said in a statement announcing the initiative. "Vaccinating our youngest residents will be a huge step forward in protecting our students, their families, schools and the broader community from this disease."
The clinics will be optional, and parents and guardians will receive additional information directly via email from the district regarding pre-registration for an appointment and specific clinic dates and times, which are not yet available. School nurses will be available to answer questions and support families in pre-registering their student(s).
Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was granted emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday and became officially available to those ages 1to 15 following a meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Vaccine Advisory Committee on Wednesday.
Pfizer is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine available to those younger than 18, and has been determined through clinical trials to be extraordinarily effective at preventing severe illness from COVID-19.
Of the children and teens in Pfizer's clinical trial who received the vaccine and not the placebo, the most common side effects following vaccination were pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, chills, muscle pain, fever and joint pain. Side effects normally lasted one to three days and were more common after the second dose.
"Teens should get vaccinated for COVID," said Dr. Jeffrey Stockman of Cape Ann Pediatrics. "While infection in adolescents is generally a mild disease, there is still a risk of serious complications from getting infected. It can also have a major impact on mental health, self esteem and social development. Not to mention quarantine is just no fun at all. Vaccinated teens can go to summer camp, sleep over with friends, travel and go on vacation without worry. If vaccinated, you also lower the chance of spreading the virus to higher risk individuals, including parents and grandparents. It is a win-win for everyone."
More information about Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine may be found on the CDC website, https://bit.ly/3hru0UM
For the latest vaccination and COVID-19 related updates, visit the Gloucester Health Department's news blog, Facebook page, and Twitter account.
