Black Horse Pike Schools To Vaccine Students On Site This Month

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — The Black Horse Pike Regional School District has entered into an agreement with Inspira Health to administer the COVID-19 vaccine at each of the district’s schools, Superintendent of Schools Brian Repici announced on Monday.

Shots will be administered at Triton Regional High School on May 20 and June 10, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. They will be administered at Highland and Timber Creek regional high schools on May 21 and June 14, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Two dates are needed because only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved for residents ages 16-and-up. The district will provide a link to parents to register their students later this week, Repici said.

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Students’ families can also be vaccinated at the schools as long as they register, Repici said.

“I am excited to be able to offer this to our students as they will find more freedom to travel and participate in community-based activities,” Repici said. “This will also further prepare everyone to get back to normal operations in the fall. As far as I know, we would be the first K-12 school to partner with a health network for an on-site vaccination in Camden County.”

Repici said this could be extended to the middle schools in the district’s sending districts - which include Gloucester Township, Bellmawr and Runnemede - in anticipation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s approval of the vaccine for residents ages 12-15.

On Monday night, the White House announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded Pfizer’s emergency use authorization to that age group. It awaits approval from the CDC.

“This is incredible news for the adolescents of our community,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said. “These children have been hit especially hard during the pandemic, from lost school years and sports seasons to their inability to safely see friends and family members, and this approval will finally allow them to return to all their favorite activities safely. More than 245,000 adults in Camden County have already received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and this will only serve to speed our march towards a post pandemic world and our ability to return to life as it was before most of us knew the word coronavirus.”

Earlier in the day Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy said the state would be ready once the vaccine was approved for use by students ages 12 to 15. He said the state's response would include the use of schools and the state's mega-vaccination sites. Read more here: NJ Ready For Kids To Get COVID Vaccine Approval: Here's How, When

“I would urge any parents of a 12- to 15-year-old child to get them vaccinated as quickly as possible so that they will be protected for the summer and the school year beginning in the fall,” Cappelli said. “That said, we have 3,500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine we will be utilizing at the Camden County Vaccination Center and appointments can be made by going to camdencountyvaccine.com. We are also accepting walk-in appointments there as well. Of course, anyone with questions about the vaccine or their child’s specific health conditions should consult their doctor.”

The Black Horse Pike Regional School District’s announcement follows a survey in which more than 80 percent of the district’s families said they would be interested in getting their students vaccinated against the coronavirus. Read more here: COVID-19 Vaccine Access Possible For Gloucester Twp. High Schools