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Public Health Planning Vax Clinics for Those Aged 5-11

Clinic flyer

Liberty, NY – In an effort to continue quickly and effectively rolling out COVID-19 vaccines, Sullivan County Public Health Services has scheduled three clinics for families who’d like to have their 5-11-year-olds inoculated with the FDA-approved Pfizer COVID vaccine.

“The more people who are vaccinated, the less chance this virus has to spread and mutate,” Public Health Director Nancy McGraw explained. “Although a lower dose than adults get, this version of the Pfizer vaccine is safe and effective for children, and I encourage parents to sign up for one of these clinics.”

Clinics are currently scheduled as follows:

  • November 19 -  Monticello Firehouse, 23 Richardson Avenue, Monticello - 2 p.m.-7:30 p.m. (second dose clinic 12/10)
  • November 23 -  Delaware Youth Center, 8 Creamery Road, Callicoon - 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (second dose clinic 12/14)
  • November 24 -  Sullivan County Public Health Services, 50 Community Lane, Liberty - 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (second dose clinic 12/15)

Pre-registration is REQUIRED. You can do so at https://sullivanny.us/Departments/Publichealth/COVIDvaccines/clinics or by calling 845-807-0925. A parent or guardian of the child must be present at the clinic.

“We chose centralized locations for these clinics so as not to displace school activities during or after school, or community groups using schools, and to allow anyone – from any school district – to come,” McGraw said. “These initial locations are accessible to the largest number of individuals in the County, and one does not have to wait for a clinic to be scheduled at their own particular school district.”

“However, as needs are identified, we may hold additional clinics at school locations if the numbers are large enough,” she added. “We have been in communication with the school officials to survey parents on interest. As we complete these larger clinics, we will identify additional locations.”

Vaccinating your child any of the clinics listed above will guarantee that they are fully vaccinated prior to the holidays, and when your child returns to school,  they will not need to be quarantined if they are exposed to someone with COVID-19.

“According to our Epidemiology Department, children age 15 and younger represent almost 25% of all the positive cases in Sullivan County this year compared to last year,” McGraw notes. “In 2020, only 6.6% of all positive cases (19) were in children in this age group, whereas in 2021 (through November 10), there were 756 children ages 15 and younger who tested positive for COVID-19, representing 22%  of all positive cases in the county.

“Just since September 1, 2021, 252 cases of coronavirus have been of children 11 or younger. That represent 15.69% of all of our cases in that time.”

“Many children have become quite ill as a result of COVID-19, although most have not required hospitalization,” she related. “However, we still do not know the long-term impacts on the health of children who have gotten COVID-19.”

When vaccination became required for college-age students in NYS, Sullivan County saw a decrease in the number of positive cases among 16-24-year-olds from 17% in 2020 down to 11.7% of all positive cases in that age group in 2021.

“We believe this is a reflection that vaccination is working and keeping our youth healthy and from transmitting the virus to others,” McGraw affirmed.