Lane County Announces Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccination Clinics for Kids 5 to 11
Lane County Public Health estimates that Lane County is home to approximately 25,000 children aged 5 to 11. While national surveys suggest that about one third of parents will seek vaccinations for newly eligible children as soon as possible, the Lane County pediatric partnership has developed capacity to meet a demand of 40% (approximately 10,000 kids) within the first several weeks of eligibility.
“Pediatric offices remain the best place to seek regular vaccinations,” said Dr. Patrick Luedtke, Lane County’s Public Health Officer, “and I’m so impressed by the efforts that pediatric and family care practices have implemented to provide vaccinations rapidly, including evening and weekend hours. But we recognize that not every parent will be able to access vaccinations this way, so we’ve worked with other providers, including pharmacies, and we’ve developed our own operational capacity through our COVID-19 Emergency Operations Center.”
Lane County has designed multiple clinic models to meet individual needs:
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Indoor clinics at the Lane Events Center Auditorium that will ultimately have the capacity for over 400 children per day;
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School-based clinics in partnership with Lane Education Services District and Lane County’s 16 school districts operating in the afternoons and evenings following regular school dismissal; and
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Community-led pediatric clinics in partnership with our community-based organization partners to ensure vaccine equity.
“We’ve developed a strategy to fully vaccinate nearly 4,000 kids before the end of 2021,” said Dr. Jocelyn Warren, Lane County’s Public Health Administrator. “As this group of younger kids becomes eligible for vaccinations, we intend to provide an added level of attention and care in our operations. Our incredible staff and many of our volunteer Community Immunity Corps that provided mass vaccinations earlier this year are now ready to serve the children and families of Lane County. We’re so grateful for the incredible outpouring of volunteerism that continues to power our community wide efforts to protect all from COVID-19.”
Parents and guardians can schedule appointments at: Get Vaccinated - Lane County or by calling (541) 682-1380.