Southern Seven announces teen vaccination opportunity

Southern Seven Health Department has announced two new COVID-19 vaccination clinics aimed at parents who would like to get vaccinations for teenagers aged 16 to 17.

Two different locations will offer the Pfizer vaccine to teens accompanied by their parent or guardian on Saturday, April 24.

One clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Vienna High School located at 601 N. 1st St. in Vienna.

The other will run from 2 to 4 p.m. at Massac County High School at 2841 Old Marion Rd. in Metropolis.

 “We’ve had parents reach out to us and request a vaccination opportunity for their 16 to 17-year-olds,” said Nathan Ryder, Outreach Coordinator for Southern Seven’s Contact Tracing Team. “With the Pfizer vaccine being the only vaccine with emergency approval for 16 and 17 year olds, it’s tough for S7 parents to find a nearby vaccine option for their teens. Because of the ultra-cold storage requirements and the relatively short shelf-life, S7HD typically doesn’t utilize the Pfizer vaccine.”

The mobile pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinics for teens will utilize the Illinois Department of Public Health’s Wellness on Wheels (WOW) vans to provide the traveling clinic space to administer the vaccines. Individuals will then be able to wait their required 15-minutes after the vaccine in the comfort of their own car parked nearby.

This unique rolling clinic gives parents and their teens an opportunity to easily get vaccinated together, closer to home.

While teens have faced lower hospitalization rates with COVID-19 infections, it’s important to remember they can just as easily catch COVID-19, spread it to others, and suffer severe or long-lasting impacts to their health.

“Teens face a lot of exposure risks for COVID-19,” Ryder said. “For instance, many competitive close-contact sports are starting back up and teens usually work seasonal summer jobs that could put them in higher-risk positions interacting with the public, like food service or retail stores.”

Vaccines will be provided on a walk-in basis to the first 100 individuals. Only Illinois residents and/or individuals with proof of employment in Illinois are eligible. Everyone over the age of 16-years old is eligible to get vaccinated.

For questions regarding COVID-19 or locations of COVID-19 vaccine clinics, contact Southern Seven Health Department at 618-634-2297 or visit them on Facebook and online at www.southern7.org.