Vaccines For Students Offered Through Pasco Health Department

PASCO COUNTY, FL — The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County is partnering with Pasco County Schools and Health Heroes to provide free COVID-19 vaccinations to Pasco County children age 12 and older.

Free vaccinations will also be made available to children's eligible family members. Students under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to receive the vaccine.

The list below of dates, times, and locations includes the dates for both the first and second doses.

June 21 and July 12

• J. W. Mitchell High School cafeteria from 8 a.m. to noon. Enter the school from Photonics Drive and park in the first parking lot on the right.
• Anclote High School media center from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Park in the student parking lot.

June 22 and July 13

• Sunlake High School classrooms in new building from 8 a.m. to noon. Parking in the student parking area.
• Fivay High School cafeteria from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Park in the lot on Chicago Avenue.

June 23 and July 14

• Pasco High School cafeteria from 8 a.m. to noon. From State Road 52, pull in after the tennis courts and park in the staff or gym parking lot.
• Wiregrass Ranch High School commons area from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Park in the faculty parking lot and take the sidewalk between Building 300 and the main office.

DOH-Pasco encourages parents and guardians not to wait to get their children vaccinated. The first day of school for students in Pasco County Schools is Aug. 10. To be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by the first day of school, students must receive their first dose of Pfizer vaccine no later than July 6. This allows for three weeks between the first and second dose, then another two weeks to be fully immunized.

Students who are fully vaccinated may be able to avoid being quarantined and excluded from the classroom due to exposure, according to the DOH-Pasco. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that if a fully vaccinated person has been around someone who has COVID-19, they are not required to stay away from others or get tested unless they have symptoms.

As of Tuesday, Pasco County has vaccinated 242,721 people: 42,111 people have received their first doses and 200,610 people have completed their second doses. In addition, the seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate in Pasco County as of Tuesday is 4.1 percent.

DOH-Pasco is no longer providing COVID-19 vaccinations or tests at the Gulf View Square Mall in Port Richey or Saint Leo University.

COVID-19 vaccination appointments are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at two DOH-Pasco clinic locations: 13941 15th St., Dade City, and 10841 Little Road, New Port Richey.

To schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination at a DOH-Pasco clinic, call 727-861-5260 and select Option 1 for Medical Services then Option 2 for Immunizations.

To speed up the registration process at the vaccination clinic sites, DOH-Pasco asks those who make an appointment by phone to complete the Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Vaccine Screening and Consent Form before arriving. Consent forms are available in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole on the DOH-Pasco COVID-19 Vaccination Distribution webpage.

DOH-Pasco is asking people with scheduled appointments to arrive no more than 15 minutes before their scheduled time and bring a photo I.D.

At this time, DOH-Pasco only has the Moderna vaccine, which means DOH-Pasco is unable to provide vaccine to children age 12 to 17 years old. However, Pasco County has more than 130 pharmacies and other locations providing vaccine throughout the county, many offering the Pfizer vaccine.

Visit the DOH Vaccine Locator webpage to find COVID-19 vaccination sites by county or city.

For testing sites in Pasco County, click here.