Young Tri-Cities teens jump in to get their COVID vaccine. And it sparked another trend

A rush of younger teens showed up last week to get their COVID-19 vaccines in the Tri-Cities, and they brought more adults with them.

More than a quarter of the people who arrived Friday at the mass vaccination site at the Benton County Fairgrounds were the newly eligible 12 to 15 year olds.

The Washington state Department of Health announced Wednesday night that Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine had been approved for that age group.

And by Friday, the Richland School District was the first to jump in to offer at-school clinics at middle schools, starting this week.

Along with signing up students, Richland officials are seeing adults sign up to get the shot at the same time. The school clinics are open to anyone in the community.

And officials at the fairgrounds clinic are seeing the same trend.

More than 3,000 people showed up at the site last week, with more than a third of those being administered on Friday.

And slightly more than a quarter of Friday’s vaccinations went to 12- to 15-year-olds. They made up most of the 353 under the age of 18 who got their shot.

Most children with COVID-19 have mild or no symptoms, but in some, the disease can require hospitalization, according to the Washington state Department of Health.

Having the vaccine also means a student who comes into close contact with someone with COVID-19 doesn’t need to go into quarantine for seven to 14 days.

And as more teens showed up so did more adults, said Evelyn Lusignan, a public information officer for the Southeast Washington Interagency Incident Management Team.

“We’re definitely seeing an increase in activity,” she said. “We had a lot of days we were doing 400 to 500 vaccine (shots) a day. It was very encouraging to see the increase in vaccines for the younger age group.”

Lusignan said they can handle up to 2,000 shots a day.

It’s encouraging to see more people getting the COVID-19 vaccine, she said.

The site is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

People wanting to schedule an appointment can use the PrepMod online system or call 800-525-0127.

Richland middle schools

The same day the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15 year olds, the Richland School District was getting phone calls from parents, said Ty Beaver, the district’s communication director.

They wanted to know if the school district was planning clinics similar to the ones held previously at Richland and Hanford high schools that vaccinated hundreds of older teens.

Now, the school district has announced free vaccine clinics at each of its four middle schools.

Enterprise and Chief Joseph will be open 11:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Friday, May 21, and Carmichael and Leona Libby will have theirs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 22.

People who receive their first dose at the clinics will be able to get their second dose at clinics on June 11-12.

Anyone younger than 18 needs to bring a consent form from their parent or guardian. And anyone younger than 15 is asked to have an adult come along to provide support for them.

Richland officials had been preparing for the clinics after hearing that a decision about allowing younger children was on the horizon. They reached out to RiteAid and Walgreens about providing the shots.

Walgreens had an earlier option, and the school district wanted to make sure to have enough time so school was still in session when the second dose was administered.

“We are excited to offer these opportunities,” Beaver said. “Our other clinics have been well received.”

The district was one of the first in Washington to organize at-school vaccine clinics.

In addition, the district is opening the clinics to the general public as well. While the mass vaccination site is great, Beaver pointed out it is on the other side of the Tri-Cities from the school district.

Many people may not be able to travel or take time off from work, or they may have other issues preventing them from getting their shot at the fairgrounds.

Anyone looking to get the vaccine is asked to register online.

This story was originally published May 17, 2021 at 1:17 PM.