Will County Opens Vaccine Sites To Kids Ages 12-15

WILL COUNTY, IL — Will County's COVID-19 vaccination starts will start offering the Pfizer vaccine to children ages 12 to 15 starting Thursday, the Will County Health Department said on its Facebook.

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of Pfizer's vaccine in those ages 12 to 15. Then, on Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the use of the Pfizer vaccine for kids in that age group.

You can schedule a vaccine for county-run sites online.

With the approach of summer and end-of-year events for school, the Will County Health Department is also reminding residents to plan celebrations cautiously.

“Young people are driving the latest COVID-19 surge,” WCHD epidemiologist Alpesh Patel said in a release. “Many outbreaks in young people are related to youth sports and extracurricular activities. Prom is an inherently high-risk activity, as it is a social gathering that involves dancing and singing (both of which are activities with increased respiration in an indoor environment), and also presents concerning opportunities for students to break health and safety protocols in a relaxed environment."

“The risk of spread of COVID-19 among school staff, students, and their families participating in these activities during the pandemic remains significant,” Alpesh said. “We strongly recommend that schools/parents do not have proms and instead substitute alternative celebrations for seniors.”

The CDC recommends virtual or outdoors end-of-year gatherings. To make small gatherings safer, it also advises wearing a mask and staying 6 feet away from others, avoiding crowded, poorly ventilated indoor spaces, and washing your hands.

One of last year's biggest super-spreader events was a make-up prom organized in Indiana, the health department said in a release.

WCHD Executive Director Sue Olenek says that more than anything, going about day-to-day life as if nothing changed is not the course of action to take right now.

“The last thing we want is to take a giant step backwards. It’s definitely too soon to act like we have returned to normalcy. Sure, some festivals and concerts are scheduled to return this year, but we must observe mask and social distancing procedures while attending those events, and continue to vaccinate as many as we can," Olenek said.

This Friday, the county, with the rest of the state, will begin the Bridge Phase. The phase lightens up health restrictions and raises capacity limits, before the state moves to phase 5, a full reopening, tentatively set for June 11.

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