More members of Montgomery County Public Schools are vaccinated against COVID-19 than ever before. With the recent approval of shots for 5 to 11 year-olds, MCPS students jumped in line, joining some MCPS staff members who received a booster shot.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved the Pfizer COVID-19 shot for children aged 5 to 11 on Nov. 2, leading to an increase in vaccinated residents. Additionally, booster doses for the Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines were approved in recent months. CDC guidelines allow educators who received their first dose(s) at least six months ago to receive a booster.
“The vaccine is safe and has gone through rigorous testing to be sure that it is,” MCPS’s Interim Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight said in a video message encouraging vaccinations for 5 to 11 year-olds, on the school system’s website. “MCPS is committed to the health and safety of all students and this vaccine for our Kindergarten through Grade 6 students will only help keep more students in the classroom, five days a week.”
MCPS’s website includes downloadable posters in English and Spanish motivating students to get vaccinated. The colorful design, with basketball players encouraging students to “be part of the team” and superheroes asking if students are “ready to join [their] superhero squad,” are part of the school system’s push to get the youngest learners vaccinated.
The school system is also partnering with the county government and the Department of Health and Human Services to spread the word about the vaccine and appointments.
“We have been working closely with MCPS and other partners to vaccinate children across the county,” Acting Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. James Bridgers said in a statement the county released on Nov. 3. “Many parents have been anxiously awaiting the approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for younger children… parents are urged to be patient, as there will not be enough supply initially to vaccinate all eligible children immediately.”
The county says that around 100,000 residents are aged 5 to 11 and it will take some time to vaccinate all who want it. The county’s Vaccine Distribution data show that more than three quarters of all residents have received their first dose of a shot; about 70% are fully vaccinated, meaning they received one shot of Johnson & Johnson or two shots of Moderna or Pfizer.
Vaccine appointments may be hard to come by not only because of the new young group’s eligibility, but because of others receiving their booster shots. Residents who are 65 years old or older (16% of the population, according to the Vaccine Distribution data) or those over 18 who are considered high-risk because of their health, job or living location are eligible for a booster from one of the three approved vaccines.
“We need to continue to urge everyone eligible to get vaccinated, as well as continue doing everything we can to protect the community,” Bridgers said in a Sept. 24 statement. “An additional dose for those who are eligible helps provide the best protection against severe illness and hospitalization.”
Urging residents to get vaccinated is part of the county’s push for a return to normalcy. The lifting of the mask mandate at the end of October signified the county’s high vaccination rate.
“I know many parents are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to get their 5 to 11 year-olds vaccinated against COVID-19. We’re right there with you,” McKnight said in the video. “We can trust that this is safe for our kids.”
Article Written by Jeremy Fredricks, Winston Churchill High School
Photo by Valerie Fang of Richard Montgomery High School