Got questions about COVID vaccine for kids? Health department forum will answer them
With the anticipated approval next week of COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5-11, local health officials are planning outreach and engagement.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department plans to host a community presentation online at noon Nov. 4 with a pediatrician to discuss the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine for kids 5-11. The forum will be open for questions.
To register, go to https://bit.ly/3nSdi2L.
Pierce County has seen at least two schools affected by outbreaks in the past month.
“In both cases, district leaders decided to switch to remote learning for several days to protect students and staff,” the department said.
Liberty Middle School in Spanaway moved to remote learning this week after 24 COVID cases were reported at the school and 228 students and staff identified as close contacts in the outbreak.
In September, Eatonville Middle School moved to remote learning after a spike in cases.
Just 47 percent of kids ages 12-17 are fully vaccinated in the county, the smallest percentage of any age group, according to TPCHD’s vaccine dashboard.
All public schools in the county already have a vaccine partner to provide COVID-19 vaccines at schools.
“We encourage parents to make plans to vaccinate your child as soon as they’re eligible,” the department said Wednesday.
“Our data and community engagement teams are also working to identify areas of the county with dense populations of soon-to-be eligible children where our mobile vaccine teams will host more clinics,” the department said.
The health department said it is planning on more pop-up clinics soon in more places, including Sumner, Edgewood, Puyallup, DuPont and Lakewood.
For more information on finding vaccines in the county, go to at tpchd.org/vaxtothefuture.
