Commissioners embark on school vaccination initiative 

(Gloucester Township, NJ) – The Camden County Health Department, in partnership with the Rutgers School of Nursing, and Cooper University Health Care launched its school vaccination program for children from 12 to 18 years of age today and yesterday at Paul VI High School, Winslow High School, and Camden Catholic High School. The objective of the initiative is to vaccinate as many students as possible to ensure the 2022 school year is uninterrupted and the community as whole gets one step closer to a post pandemic world.

Commissioner and educator, Al Dyer, noted the impact and importance of getting students vaccinated and setting up mobile clinics inside the schools.

“Creating a space and a place for in-class instruction for students, teachers and staff is something we have been dreaming about since the start of this pandemic,” Dyer said. “This exercise will allow us to vaccinate as many eligible students as possible by bringing the vaccine to the schools themselves where the students are learning. This process will begin to allow us to provide a layer of protection over our children that was inconceivable six months ago and now we are making it a reality.”

Earlier in May, the US Food and Drug Administration issued the emergency use authorization for Pfizer’s vaccine for the new age group after a clinical trial showed the vaccine had a 100 percent efficacy and was well tolerated by teenagers. The state Department of Health soon followed the decision with guidance for county public health departments to distribute the vaccine.

“Make no mistake, the COVID transmission rate is dropping because of our aggressive vaccine campaign, nevertheless, we are seeing the age level become younger and younger of those being infected,” Dyer continued. “If we are able to vaccinate this young age group, we will make a big impact on the spread of this insidious virus.”

Every Thursday and Friday the Commissioners mobile clinic team will be visiting schools throughout Camden County to vaccinate as many students and families as possible. In addition, the Pfizer vaccine will be distributed at the Camden County Vaccination Center for residents every Thursday, starting May 27.

At this time, more than 256,000 adult residents have gotten at least one dose of a COVID vaccine in Camden County. This is more than 64 percent of the total adult population.