COVID vaccine clinic at Justice High School July 14; students age 12 and up need to get vaccinated as soon as possible

A school-based COVID vaccination clinic in Fairfax County [WJLA]

The Fairfax County Health Department and school system are hosting three vaccination clinics for youths age 12 and up this week, including one at Justice High School, 3301 Peace Valley Lane, Falls Church, on Wednesday, July 14, 2-7 p.m. 

Schedule an appointment at a school clinic through the Vaccine Administration Management System. Walk-ins will also be accepted. The other clinics are July 13 in Herndon and July 15 in Clifton.

The Fairfax County Health Department urges parents to act now to ensure their students, ages 12-17, get the COVID-19 vaccine so they’ll be fully vaccinated when the 2021-22 school year starts Aug. 23.

That means students should get their first dose by July 19. The Pfizer vaccine is the only vaccine available for adolescents, and it takes five weeks to get fully vaccinated. It’s a two-dose vaccine, with the second dose administered 21 days after the first one. 

Parental consent is required for vaccinations for youths under age 18. Parents who are unable to bring their child to a COVID-19 vaccination clinic can send their child with a responsible adult who is over 18 and can give permission for the vaccination on behalf of the parent. 

Vaccines are also widely available from the Fairfax County Health Department, private healthcare providers, pharmacies, grocery stores, and urgent care clinics. Visit vaccines.gov to schedule an appointment.

If children have an appointment with a healthcare provider for other school-required vaccinations, they can get the COVID vaccine during the same office visit. 

The Health Department assures the public that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective: “The vaccines have been administered to millions of people under the most intensive safety monitoring in history, which includes studies on adolescents.”  

“Your child can’t get COVID-19 from the vaccine,” the Health Department says. But children can be infected with the virus that causes COVID and can spread it to others. 

According to the CDC, any potential side effects from the vaccine, including the rare condition of myocarditis, are far outweighed by the benefits of preventing COVID.