By Sushant Kunwar
Branford High School is working with The Fair Haven Community Health Care to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to students of ages 16 and older. In a recent newsletter, Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez implores parents to consider vaccinations for their children.
Students can receive their first dose on May 13, 2021 and their second dose on June 3, 2021. The shots are free for all students.
For students under 18, a parent or guardian must be present for the vaccination. Additionally, students and parents must fill out a consent form beforehand and return it to the BHS main office. Several students said they were pleased to hear that the school was offering a vaccine clinic.
“Looking at the facts, CT has been excellent in the vaccine department: CT residents can now do walk ups without an appointment, vaccines will be given free of charge, and your insurance and ID will not be required either,” said Junior Pierce Kozlowski. “Of the 70 clinics, 20 serve Pfizer, allowing our younger generation to better combat the virus. We should be proud of our state for bolstering CT’s healthcare sector, and allowing all of us to help combat COVID 19.”
Kozlowski believes that the increased vaccinations have greatly improved the quality of life in the school community. The BHS Administration also shares this sentiment.
“Any opportunity that the district can pursue to provide greater access to vaccines for students, we should do,” said BHS principal Lee Panagoulias. “This is not necessarily a one time thing, especially with the FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine for people aged 12-15. The school can serve as a valuable access point for students to get vaccinations.”
Panagoulias also expressed optimism in the extension of in person learning and extra curricular activities with more vaccinations in the BHS community.
This comes in a time when almost 57% of CT residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The push for vaccination has been great in the U.S. and especially in CT where vaccination rates are above the national average. This has allowed for a restrained return to normalcy in the shadow of the pandemic.
