DELMAR — The Bethlehem Central School District partnered with Crestwood Pharmacy to host a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine clinic for students ages 5 to 11 on Wednesday, Nov. 17.
A total of 280 students grades K-6 received the first dose of the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine recently approved by the Center for Disease Control for use in younger students.
The district wide clinic took place at Eagle Elementary School in the afternoon following an already-scheduled early dismissal for elementary students. Parents accompanied their children to the appointment-only clinic.
The vaccine clinic was staffed by familiar faces including school nurses who served as vaccinators alongside the district’s medical director, pharmacists from Crestwood Pharmacy, and local volunteer members of the Medical Reserve Corps. Administrators and other staff provided additional support, welcoming families, offering clerical support, setting up the clinic and helping to clean up after the six-hour event.
“We were happy to be able to provide this clinic to our families,” said Superintendent Jody Monroe, who said the clinic came together quickly after Crestwood Pharmacy owner Jay Patel notified her last Friday that they had received 400 vaccine doses. “We were already experienced to some degree in running a vaccine event after having two last spring at the high school. However, this quick turnaround required the cooperation, commitment and hard work of a lot of people on our staff as well as community volunteers and our gracious public health partners at Crestwood Pharmacy. I can’t thank them enough.”
Monroe said the students who were vaccinated on Wednesday will receive their second dose at a follow-up clinic scheduled for Dec. 9, allowing them to be fully vaccinated by the start of the holiday break.
