The Peru Gazette

Plattsburgh, May 13, 2021. On May 12, Governor Cuomo accepted Dr. Zucker and the New York State Clinical Advisory Task Force’s recommendation to authorize all providers enrolled in the NYS COVID-19 vaccination program to expand eligibility for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to people in the 12-15 age group.

The Clinton County Health Department (CCHD) plans to begin offering vaccination clinics in local schools later this month. “We will be working with local schools to set up clinics for their students that are as convenient as possible for the kids and their parents,” stated John Kanoza, Director of Public Health in Clinton County. “Parents or guardians should plan to be present when their child receives their vaccine.”

CCHD began working with local school districts over the past several weeks to begin gauging the level of interest in each district. Districts were asked to share a vaccination survey with their school community to get a preliminary number of interested students. The survey can be accessed by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/r/ClintonCOVID-19VaxSurvey. Please only complete the survey if you are interested in having your child vaccinated at a school clinic.

In anticipation of this age expansion, the North Country already has hundreds of doses ready to be distributed to this population. “Because Pfizer vaccine comes in large quantities, we will be sharing an order with our neighboring counties,” added Mr. Kanoza. “CVPH has been a huge help in the receipt and storage of these doses.”

By swiftly vaccinating this age group, CCHD hopes to reduce the number of cases and exposures in K-12 schools. This will allow for minimal disruptions in learning moving into the upcoming school year. “We are currently seeing that more than half of the COVID-19 cases in Clinton County are in the younger age groups – ages 25 and younger,” explained Mr. Kanoza. “With this age expansion, we hope we will see COVID cases trend downward in that population, much like it has in the rest of our vaccinated population.”

Other local providers who offer Pfizer vaccine can begin vaccinating this population as early as today. To find a provider nearest to you, visit www.vaccinefinder.org/search.