NEWS RELEASE: San Diego Unified School District

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News Release


San Diego Unified to Offer Free COVID-19 Vaccines to Students, Community at Select District High Schools

Partnership with UCSD, Sharp seeks to help stop spread of virus, encourage vaccinations in communities with limited access




May 9, 2021



SAN DIEGO – Free COVID-19 vaccinations will be available to students and community members who are 16 and older at clinics to be held at eight San Diego Unified School District high schools the week of May 10.


San Diego Unified has partnered with UC San Diego Health and Sharp HealthCare to host the clinics at district high schools located in neighborhoods with some of the lowest vaccination rates.


"We know that coronavirus vaccines are key to stopping the pandemic and ensuring that students, teachers and members of our community are safe," Superintendent Cindy Marten said. "By bringing free vaccines directly to our students and families at their trusted schools, San Diego Unified, UCSD and Sharp are making the vaccination process as convenient as possible."

Schools hosting the clinics have notified families about free vaccinations, and provided them with the parent consent form<https://sandiegounified.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0842714cdcd339c51096304b8&id=022b572e84&e=ab7413129f> that must be signed for students younger than 18 to receive a vaccine. UCSD will administer the Pfizer vaccine (and provide dates for the necessary follow-up vaccines) from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a walk-in basis at the following schools:

* Monday, May 10, and Tuesday, May 11, at Hoover, Crawford and Lincoln high schools
* Wednesday, May 12, and Thursday, May 13, at Morse and San Diego high schools

Sharp will administer the Pfizer vaccine (and provide dates for the necessary follow-up vaccines) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m on a walk-in and appointment basis:

* Monday, May 10, at Canyon Hills (formerly Serra)
* Tuesday, May 11, at Kearny High School
* Wednesday, May 12, at Clairemont High School

"It is important to get as many people in our community vaccinated, and that includes eligible students," San Diego Unified Pediatrician Dr. Howard Taras said. "Not only does it help get closer to 'herd immunity' (where the virus transmission rate is low), but it helps reduce the chances for producing new variants. Children used to account for 4 or 5% of all covid cases. At the end of April, they accounted for 15% of cases, and the proportion of all cases that are children continues to rise."

San Diego Unified has made vaccinations available to all employees who want one. San Diego Unified will reopen in the fall for the 2021-22 school year with a traditional schedule of five full days of in-person instruction each week.
San Diego Unified requires that school employees receive regular COVID-19 tests, and offers the tests to students. Schools provide air filtration and proper ventilation, require staff and students to wear masks, follow social-distancing protocols, offer hand sanitizer, and frequently clean campuses.

MEDIA CONTACT: Communications Director Maureen Magee, mmagee@sandi.net<mailto:mmagee@sandi.net>, (619) 381-7930



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