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(#VaxToSchool image courtesy of the Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul)
(#VaxToSchool image courtesy of the Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul)

Hochul announces new #VaxtoSchool pop-up sites

Submitted

Tue, Oct 19th 2021 06:50 pm

120 sites established statewide over 12 weeks to increase vaccination rates among school-aged New Yorkers; 86 sites established to date

√ New sites announced weekly over a 12-week period; full list of sites updated weekly here

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced 25 new #VaxtoSchool pop-up vaccination sites to increase vaccination rates among school-aged New Yorkers. On Sept. 21, she announced a total of 120 sites will take place over a 12-week period statewide. To date, 86 sites have been established.

The Department of Health is working with local county health departments, community-based organizations, and health care centers to support the establishment of these sites in all regions of the state. Partners, host sites and outreach efforts are tailored to the communities they are built to serve. New locations are established on a rolling basis in partnership with localities.

"We continue to do everything possible to vaccinate eligible school-aged New Yorkers," Hochul said. "Our #VaxtoSchool program – including new sites established weekly, mobile vaccinations, and education efforts in collaboration with partners on-the-ground – is bringing the vaccine to younger New Yorkers and their families. If you are a parent or guardian of a school-aged New Yorker, I urge you to get your child vaccinated so they can protect themselves, those around them, and participate in keeping their school community healthy and safe from COVID-19."

A community-based medical professional will be available at each site to answer any questions parents and guardians of school-aged New Yorkers may have. As another tool to promote vaccinations and ensure access across New York communities, #VaxtoSchool buses – mobile vaccination efforts – are being launched in convenient, youth and school-centric areas statewide. This week, the #VaxtoSchool bus will be at the Massena Community Center site in North Country, the Chenango Valley High School in the Southern Tier, and the Vineyard Farms and Outdoors Center for Excellence in the Finger Lakes region.

This announcement builds on New York state's commitment to making the health and well-being of students, teachers and families a top priority. As of Oct. 18, 62.8% of 12 to 15-year-olds and 72.3% of 16 to 25-year-olds have received at least one vaccine dose.

Operational days for each of the local #VaxtoSchool pop-up vaccination sites for school-aged New Yorkers are below. The full list of #VaxtoSchool sites is available here and will be updated weekly over the 12-week period to include new sites when they are announced.

Newly established Western New York locations include:

Chautauqua Lake Central School Bus Garage, 100 North Erie St., Mayville

  • Open: Tuesday, Oct. 19; 4:30-6:30 p.m.
  • Vaccine types available: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Janssen/J&J
  • Event partner: Chautauqua County

•WNY Women's Foundation and Harvest House, 175 Jefferson Ave., Buffalo

  • Open: Friday, Oct. 22; 5-8 p.m. for members of the WNY Women's Foundation and Harvest House.
  • Vaccine types available: Pfizer-BioNTech (second dose event)
  • Event partner: Erie County

•Lake Shore High School, 959 Beach Road, Angola

  • Open: Friday, Oct. 22; 2-7 p.m.
  • Vaccine types available: Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna
  • Event Partner: Erie County
  • For information, go to: www.erie.gov/vax
  • Incentive: Tops gift cards

•Orleans-Niagara BOCES, Niagara Career and Technical Education Center, 3181 Saunders Settlement Road, Sanborn

  • Open: Saturday, Oct. 23; 9 a.m. to noon
  • Vaccine types available: Pfizer-BioNTech
  • Event partner: Niagara County
  • Incentive: Regal gift cards

In addition to the location-specific incentives, all New Yorkers who receive their first vaccine dose by Oct. 24 can enter New York state's “#VaxandWin football sweepstakes” to win prizes from the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants and New York Jets. Parents or guardians can enter for eligible children. To learn more, interested New Yorkers can visit the site here, and eligible New Yorkers can enter the sweepstakes here.

Children aged 12 to 17 can take the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which is available under emergency use authorization for children ages 12 to 15 and is fully approved for those age 16 and older. The other COVID-19 vaccines are not yet authorized or approved for this age group. Parents and guardians of a school-aged New Yorker can also visit vaccines.gov, text a ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find a nearby vaccine location.

To learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine and school-aged children, New Yorkers can visit a dedicated website, ny.gov/vaxtoschool, or follow @VaccinateNY on Instagram.

Visit the Department of Health website for more information on recommended childhood and adolescent immunizations.

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