Hillsborough County school district hosting vaccine clinics for students
TAMPA, Fla. - School may be out of the summer, but some campuses in Hillsborough County will be open to students – not for class, but for COVID-19 vaccine shots.
The purpose, school officials said, is to help get more children – 12 and older – vaccinated before the start of the next school year.
Seven Hillsborough County high schools will be participating. The clinics will be held on Friday, June 11 from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday, June 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the following schools:
- Gaither High
- Middleton High
- Newsome High
- Robinson High
- Sickles High
- Strawberry Crest High
- Wharton High
The CDC is urging more teens to get vaccinated this summer after March and April's data showed a rise in teenagers hospitalized because of serious COVID-19 symptoms.
According to the CDC, young adults with COVID are being hospitalized at three times the rate of those with the standard flu. In Florida, nearly two million 12 to 19-year-olds have been vaccinated against COVID-19. That’s roughly 22% of teens in the state.
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Those getting the shot say they’re looking forward to getting back to normal because of it.
"You really can't achieve a huge amount of herd immunity or reach the herd immunity goal, without it including children," said. Dr. Allison Messina with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
No appointments are needed for these vaccine clinics but a parent or legal guardian must be with a child when they get their vaccine. For more information, click here.