Baltimore County Hosts Mass Vaccination Clinics To Encourage Students To Get Covid-19 Vaccine
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (WJZ) -- With the start of school just weeks away, Baltimore County wants to make sure all eligible students have the chance to roll up their sleeves to get the covid shot.
A mass vaccination clinic was held at New Town High School in Owings Mills on Monday.
"I wanted to get the COVID vaccine to stop the spread of COVID, just because the delta variant," said Temitope Adenaike, 9th grade Baltimore County student.
Baltimore County student Temitope Adenaike was joined by other young Marylanders -- a population health officials have recently been targeting.
Monday's mass vaccination clinic is all part of the county's student vaccination initiative where clinics will be held at high schools over the coming weeks to get more shots into the arms of everyone ages 12 and up.
The move is something the U.S. Secretary of Education wants to see implemented nationwide.
"We owe it to our students who are waiting to get back into their classrooms," said Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education.
The clinics will be held at county high schools in communities that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and that have vaccination rates lower than the county average.
Baltimore County has been a leader in efficiently and effectively delivering vaccines to residents and more than 70 percent of county residents aged 12 and older have received at least one dose.
However, many communities across the county continue to have lower vaccination rates. Vaccination rates are also lower for younger residents with only approximately 47 percent of residents between the ages of 12 and 18 having received at least one dose.
Officials hope to open the door for more students to return safely to the classroom this upcoming school year.
"I'm looking forward to everyone getting their vaccines so we can go back to normal and have normal school years," said Adenaike.
Once school is in session, COVID-19 vaccines will also be available at 17 wellness centers inside school buildings across the county.
Dundalk High School will be hosting the next vaccine clinic on Tuesday, Aug. 10 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.