Holt Public Schools will hold a coronavirus vaccine clinic Wednesday with the Ingham County Health Department, just over a week after federal officials approved the first vaccine against COVID-19 for children as young as 5.
Anyone age 5 and up can schedule an appointment to receive a coronavirus vaccine at the clinic, which will be held at Holt High School from 4-8 p.m. Minors must attend with parent. Appointments can be scheduled online here.
The health department plans to offer all three approved coronavirus vaccines at the clinic, although only the vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech is available for those younger than 18.
The district expects to host another clinic Dec. 1 to provide second doses for those who participate, Superintendent David Hornak said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 2 approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in children aged 5 to 11, opening the door to nearly every school-aged child to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Some students involved in Holt’s Great Start Readiness Programs as well as some kindergarteners may not yet be old enough for the shot.
“(The vaccination clinic) is just one of the many strategies that we are using to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in our district,” Hornak said. “We also have what are called desk-shields, and those are used anytime a student is going to be closer than 3 feet from someone for an extended amount of time, and the number we use on that extended period of time is roughly 15 minutes.
“We also use desk shields when the kids are eating in the cafeteria, when their masks are off. We also fall under the Ingham County executive order that mandates masks for every indoor school activity.”
The superintendent said he does not yet know if vaccine availability for children will affect any policies in schools, as that would depend on whether Ingham County alters its health order.
Holt High School sophomore Joy Williams said COVID-19 has been hard on students in the district, including herself.
“We still haven’t gotten to go back to school normally,” she said. “Having school online and everything, I think a lot of people really wished for this year to be different.”
Shelby Walmsley has a child in the first grade and a child in the district’s Great Start Readiness Program. She said her children will be vaccinated as soon as they are eligible in an effort to keep those around them safer.
She said the school sent out an email asking about the interest in vaccines for this age group. She thinks school officials have been doing the best they can, given the circumstances.
“They’ve faced some backlash for requiring masks,” Walmsley said. “But with so many people in the buildings and with everyone’s situation and ability to survive having COVID being different, it was the right thing to do.
“I’m relieved my children are in a district that’s taking the situation seriously and hope they continue to do so.”
For questions or help scheduling an appointment, the Ingham County Health Department can be reached at 517-887-4623 or covidvaccine@ingham.org.