November: COVID-19 Vaccination Options and Resources

Dear Trinity Families,

 

I hope your Parent/Teacher Conferences have been productive.

 

Below is an excerpt from a communication sent to independent schools from the San Mateo County Office of Education.  I understand that many families are already on the vaccination path yet this information may be useful as well.

 

This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fully agreed with its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation that children ages 5 to 11 be vaccinated against COVID-19 with the Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric vaccine. According to the CDC, “Vaccinating children will help protect them from getting COVID-19 and therefore reducing their risk of severe disease, hospitalizations, or developing long-term COVID-19 complications. Getting your children vaccinated can help protect them against COVID-19, as well as reduce disruptions to in-person learning and activities by helping curb community transmission.” 

 

Supplies of the vaccine have been shipped, and vaccination events across the county are scheduled. Many parents are anxious to get their children vaccinated, and there are many options for making that happen.  

 

The following is a list of COVID-19 vaccination options for children. A flyer in English and Spanish with these options can be found here. Please note, this list of options will continue to expand as we go through the next few weeks. Continue to visit SMC Health’s website and the MyTurn website for updated information and opportunities. 

 

Health Care Providers

Check with your child’s pediatrician to schedule an appointment. Kaiser Health is making pediatric vaccination appointments for their members. Stanford Children’s pediatric vaccination clinics can be found here. Sutter/PAMF will have appointments available shortly. 

 

Local Pharmacies

Several pharmacies in San Mateo County offer appointments and walk-up options for vaccinations for children. Please visit their websites – CVS, RiteAid, Safeway, Walgreens,Costco, and Lucky – for the most current information on how to schedule appointments. For a list of pharmacies and locations, visit the SMCH website, which continues to be updated as new options become available. 

 

SMC Health Vaccination Clinics

San Mateo County Health is organizing vaccination clinics for children. Visit MyTurn to schedule an appointment – search by the Event Center address (1346 Saratoga Ave., San Mateo) on the MyTurn site. These events are being further supported with community-funded efforts to make the Event Center site child-friendly. More information can be found on the SMCH website. Dates include: 

       Additional dates will be added as needed. 

 

School Vaccination Clinics

Vaccination clinics are scheduled at the following school sites. Many of these events are already full, but as other opportunities open up, registrants may come off the list opening up additional spots.   

According to the CDC, it is not only okay to administer the COVID-19 and flu vaccine at the same time, they encourage it – “If a patient is due for both vaccines, providers are encouraged to offer both vaccines at the same visit. Coadministration of all recommended vaccines is important because it increases the probability that people will be fully vaccinated.” 

 

Many parents still have questions about the vaccine and whether or not to vaccinate their children. Here are three ways parents can learn more about the vaccine.

Thanks everyone,

Matt