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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Appointments can be scheduled as soon as today as the Los Angeles Unified School District introduced school-based vaccine clinics to vaccinate any eligible students and employees against COVID-19.
Interim Superintendent Megan K. Reilly announced the launch Tuesday, saying mobile vaccination teams will visit every LAUSD middle and high school campus to deliver first and second doses starting Monday.
Appointments can be made through the LAUSD's “Daily Pass'' app. To make an appointment, or for information on when a vaccine team will visit a particular school, visit: https://achieve.lausd.net/covidor call 213-328-3958.
Students age 12 and older are eligible.
“Vaccines are a game changer for all of us,'' Reilly said. “They help reduce the chances of getting considerably sick and dying from the virus. We can and will protect our school communities by continuing to vaccinate employees and every eligible student.''
Reilly said students age 12 to 15 must bring an adult with them when they receive the vaccine, while students 16 and older may bring an adult with them or bring a signed consent form.
The school-based vaccine program is one of several strategies the LAUSD has implemented as in-person learning has resumed amid a surge in COVID-19 countywide, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.
The district also employs daily health checks for everyone going onto campuses; masking; comprehensive COVID testing, contact tracing and isolation of cases; making hand sanitizer available; increased sanitization and cleaning of schools; upgraded ventilation; and a vaccine requirement for all LA Unified employees.
“The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and the best way to protect our students, staff and families,'' school board President Kelly Gonez said.
“Our communities trust our public schools, so they are natural sites for our students and families to receive this life-saving vaccine. I encourage everyone who is eligible to get their shot as part of this effort.''
The district requires weekly COVID testing for students and employees, regardless of their vaccination status. All district employees must be fully vaccinated by Oct. 15.
The health screenings led to long lines of students at some schools on the first day of classes, due to the high volume of students and parents trying to access the Daily Pass app the district is using to verify tests. The app generates a code that can be scanned as students enter campus.
District officials told the LAUSD Board of Education Tuesday that 3,000 students had tested positive for the virus prior to the start of the school year or during the first week of classes, which began Aug. 16. Another 3,500 were quarantined due to possible exposure to the virus.
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