SAN JOSE, CA – Following the recent approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-to-11, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) released a statement promoting the importance of youth vaccinations in keeping schools open for full-time, in-person instruction.
“Vaccines are safe and effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our homes, schools and communities,” said Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools, “Promoting vaccine access to all eligible children in Santa Clara County is one of the leading public health strategies for preventing illness and continuity of in-person schooling.”
Parents and guardians should visit http://www.sccfreevax.org to sign up for an appointment or to find a convenient walk-in location. Mobile and pop-up vaccine clinics will be held across Santa Clara County in the coming weeks to ensure all eligible students have access to the vaccine. As it has been throughout the pandemic, vaccinations are provided at no-cost to recipients. Health insurance is not required and there are no immigration status questions.
The SCCOE, the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department and Stanford Children's Health will host a town hall at 6 p.m. on Monday, November 8, 2021, to answer questions and provide additional information to families regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Parents/Guardians are encouraged to attend the town hall by using the following link to join: https://sccoe.to/YouthVaxTH.
Additional information on the vaccine for children include:
- Children will receive two doses of the Pfizer vaccine, given three weeks apart.
- It is a smaller dose than the Pfizer vaccine for adults. It is one-third of an adult dose.
- Children will get a white CDC COVID-19 vaccine record card in addition to children’s yellow immunization card, if they have one. Both cards will be updated so parents/guardians are encouraged to bring the yellow card to their child’s appointment.
Families are encouraged to reach out to their child’s doctor or healthcare specialist to ask any questions they may have about their child’s vaccination and to see if they are offering vaccine appointments for children.
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About the Santa Clara County Office of Education
Working collaboratively with school and community partners, the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) is a regional service agency that provides instructional, business, and technology services to the 31 school districts of Santa Clara County. The County Office of Education directly serves students through special education programs, alternative schools, Head Start and State Preschool programs, migrant education, and Opportunity Youth Academy. The SCCOE also provides academic and fiscal oversight and monitoring to districts in addition to the 22 Santa Clara County Board of Education authorized charter schools.
For more information about the Santa Clara County Office of Education, please visit www.sccoe.org and follow us @SCCOE on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.