PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Kids 12 years old and up Tuesday prepared for the start of school by rolling up their sleeves to get COVID-19 vaccines.
The back-to-school gathering at Motivation High School in Southwest Philadelphia was one of a series of vaccination events staged by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the school district.
When in-person classes resume Aug. 31, masks will be mandatory for all. The district is encouraging, but not requiring, staff and eligible students to get vaccinated.
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Alexis Kargbo, 14, is going to be a freshman at Girls High. She got her first Pfizer shot Tuesday at Motivation High.
Being vaccinated puts her at ease, she said, for when she returns to in-person classes.
“It feels good to know that I’m safe now, and I won’t feel different,” she said.
Alexis’ grandmother Rhonda Burke said it’s important that everyone be protected from COVID-19.
“I’m vaccinated. She’s getting vaccinated, and I’m happy that we were able to come down here to do it,” she said.
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At first, Dymir Farrare, 16, wasn’t crazy about getting the COVID-19 vaccine. But he did it.
“I don’t like needles. But if I’m going to get the vaccine to protect my life, then I’m going to get it,” he said.
Dymir is going to be a junior at Robeson High. His mom Danielle said with the delta variant spreading rapidly, she wanted to be sure Dymir got his shot.
“Now that school is about to start back up and the virus is starting to increase again, I don’t want to take any chances,” she said.
Dymir and Alexis were among about 200 students who pre-registered for the free shots.
Sophia Collins, a clinical nurse program manager at Children’s Hospital, co-created the student-led “Philly Teen Vaxx Ambassadors” program.
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Collins is hoping students will spread the word among themselves about the value of the vaccine.
“Kids, they have their own language,” she said.
“They talk to each other and get messaging through. Unlike adults, they really look to each other and so having our Philly Teen Vaxx Ambassadors here, letting them be on the front lines to drive this message out to the community and their peers is essential.”
“The one sure thing that we know is that the vaccine is giving us the most protection,” Collins explained. “That’s how we need to ready our kids to return to school.”
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CORRECTION: Alexis Kargbo is an incoming freshman at Girls High.