OAKLAND — Officials in Regional School Unit 18 are planning a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for district students later this month, in partnership with Oakland Pharmacy.
The move comes as school districts across Maine are offering vaccine clinics for the two-shot Pfizer vaccination after its recent approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the federal Centers for Disease Control & Prevention for those 12 or older.
In a note Wednesday night to the school community, RSU 18 Superintendent Carl Gartley wrote the first-shot clinic had been scheduled for Friday, May 21.
“We sent out a survey to parents to see if there was any interest in doing one,” Gartley said Thursday. “What we received back for information from parents is that we have every makeup of family that is out there, but we had at least a couple hundred people respond that it would be helpful.”
The clinic is planned for Oakland, but the exact location had yet to be decided Thursday.
Plans call for the district to transport students who wish to get the vaccination from its schools in Belgrade, China and Sidney. RSU 18 enrolls students from Belgrade, China, Oakland, Rome and Sidney.
Gartley said the district and Oakland Pharmacy held two vaccination clinics earlier in the year for faculty and staff members, with about 200 employees participating. Staffers also participated in other area clinics.
As of Thursday, 46.4% of those who live in Kennebec County and are “age eligible” for the vaccine had received a final vaccine dose, while 50.6% had gotten at least a first dose, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention.
All students who wish to participate are asked to register for the clinic and complete a permission slip. A clinic offering the second of the two shots doesn’t have a date yet, but it’s planned for just after the school year ends on June 9. Transportation will be provided, according to Gartley.
“We have tried to keep schools open to support our students and families,” Gartley said, “and this is just another way to support our families.”
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