![Akron Public Schools' first COVID-19 vaccine clinic available to 5 to 11-year-olds will be this Saturday at Hyre CLC. [Tim Dubravetz / Ideastream Public Media]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3cf7550/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x551+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F11%2F05%2FAkron%20schools%20picture.jpg)
Akron Public Schools is offering three clinics to students in the coming weeks in partnership with Akron Children’s Hospital.
Once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued emergency use authorization for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for children age 5 to 11, the district worked closely with the hospital system to organize the clinics, according to district spokesman Mark Williamson.
“These vaccinations are going to be administered by hospital nurses to our children. And so, we're going to provide that in three clinics,” Williamson said.
The first clinic will be held Saturday, Nov. 13, at Hyre CLC from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Another clinic will be held Thursday, Nov. 18, at Shumacher CLC from 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. Two days later on Saturday, Nov. 20, a clinic will be held at North High School from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. The clinics are for students in Akron city schools only.
“We feel, in following public health guidance, which we believe in, that it's only right to do the next right thing, which is to take care of our youngest students,” Williamson said. “So that we don't have a population of kids who are not served by this protective procedure. And make it available, and make it easy, make it free so that there's no barrier to any child who should have this or any parent who feels a child should have this.”
Parents and guardians can sign up on the district’s website to bring their child to the clinic, using the ‘Roll up the sleeve’ link, but pre-registration is not required. Parents must attend the clinics with their children, masks are required, and vaccines are free.
“So those are all first shots. And, then there’s a three week waiting period for the second vaccination. That's part of the Pfizer regimen. So three weeks from those dates, those same children will come back and get their second shot,” Williamson said.
The district is asking families to fill out a survey to find out if they will get their children vaccinated, “because it helps us know how much vaccine the hospital has to put together to bring,” according to Williamson.
