Taft High 7-12 was the scene for a Lincoln County Public Health mobile operation Friday, where students were receiving Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Clinics have been popping up in school gyms across Lincoln County where kids 15 and up can decide for themselves if they want to get Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The clinics in Lincoln County schools are coordinated by Lincoln County Public Health and have been operating for over a week.
According to Lincoln County Public Health Vaccine Coordinator Jesse Noble, families were sent sign-up forms for students aged 12-14. Students 15 and up can sign for themselves, with no parent permission needed.
Noble provided data for LCSD students which shows close to 300 total vaccinations, or four percent of ages 12-15 and two percent of ages 16-17. The data has been collected since Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was approved for twelve-year-olds on May 10.
“We wanted to catch everybody before school got out because Pfizer was just approved for kiddos 12 and up,” Noble said. “We want to get kids ready to enjoy their summer.”
Students who got a vaccine at school today will be able to get their second dose in three weeks. Walk-ins are also available for any students who want the vaccine.
Lincoln County Public Health officials said they were acting independently of the State of Oregon and decided to organize the school clinics at one of their weekly meetings.
Oregon State Governor Kate Brown issued the following statement in April concerning the legalities of a minor making the decision to vaccinate:
MINOR CONSENT STATEMENT
