As thousands of students have had to miss class due to coronavirus exposures, the Los Angeles Unified School District announced Tuesday it is launching mobile clinics to vaccinate any eligible students and employees against COVID-19.
“Vaccines are a game changer for all of us,” Interim LAUSD Superintendent Megan K. Reilly said. “They help reduce the chances of getting considerably sick and dying from the virus. We can and will protect our school communities by continuing to vaccinate employees and every eligible student.”
The mobile teams will begin visiting middle and high schools next week to give out the shots. Appointments can be made online starting Wednesday.
Students aged 12 to 15 will have to bring an adult with them to get the shot. Older students can either bring an adult with them or bring a signed consent form.
“The re-launch of our school-based COVID-19 vaccination clinics is a critical step toward fighting—and beating—the virus, especially in communities like Watts where our vaccination rate is just 57%,” Board Member Tanya Ortiz Franklin said in a statement.
At L.A. Unified, all teachers and staff have until Oct. 15 to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — as a condition of continued employment.
The vaccine is not currently mandatory for L.A. Unified students.
However, all employees and students are required to get tested regularly for coronavirus, regardless of vaccination status.