Public schools on Cape Cod are beginning to schedule COVID-19 vaccination clinics for ages 5 to 11, and some of the first clinics will be held in Barnstable.
Barnstable plans to hold clinics at two schools Nov. 17 and 19, according to Alicia Bryant, director of health services for the district.
She said the clinics will be held at Barnstable United Elementary School and Barnstable Intermediate School because students there get dismissed earlier than other students in this age group.
“So those parents will be able to ... come into the building, have those children get their vaccines, and then they'll leave,” she said. “And then, when the elementary schools are dismissed, those parents would pick those students up and drive them over.”
Those clinics are for Barnstable students only, from 3 to 5 p.m.
Bryant scheduled the clinics through the Barnstable County public health nurse, she said.
The county is planning to schedule future clinics with other school districts, according to Bethany Traverse, communications coordinator for the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment.
Bryant said parents who are unsure about the vaccine should know it’s endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“It can be controversial and a bit politicized, but to hear from literally every medical professional that I've spoken to, that they would vaccinate their own children, that's kind of where I go with it,” she said.
