NYC Mayor Pledges A Teen Vaccination Blitz Before Fall

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New York City will be rolling out pop-up vaccination sites at public schools participating in Summer Rising, the newly expanded summer school program, beginning on Monday.

“We are right now starting the first wave of the blitz leading up to the beginning of school,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday’s edition of the Brian Lehrer Show.

The new sites will be open to students, staff, parents, and neighbors. Children are required to have verbal consent from a parent or guardian, either in-person or over the phone, and these adults have to accompany kids ages 12 to 15. De Blasio said 25 schools will offer vaccinations on a rolling basis through mid-August.

The city began offering vaccines at schools in June, just a month before summer break, and has held block parties with food and music to make getting a shot more accessible and fun for young people. De Blasio broke news by adding that 43% of youth ages 12 to 17 have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The rate for all minors is 13% in New York City, given the shots aren’t available for non-adolescents. The education department said in a separate statement that about 60% of school staff have received at least one dose.