As the year wraps up, schools in southwest IL are helping students get vaccinated

As Kaitlyn and Quentin Jackson sat down to get the COVID vaccine, their mother, Quanyshia Jackson, joked that her middle and high schooler don’t like shots and might tear up.

They didn’t.

Sitting on the bleachers at East St. Louis High School for her 15 minutes of observation, Kaitlyn Jackson said the shot hurt a little, but that she’s ready to get back to friends and family.

“It’s mainly for her safety,” Quanyshia Jackson said.

She and her son contracted COVID-19 in December, and she was able to get vaccinated before her kids.

“She wanted to go back (to school),” she said of her daughter. “She was excited, and I was excited for her.”

East St. Louis School District 189 and Belleville Township High School 201 have both hosted optional student vaccine clinics, with the support of Eastside Health District and the Illinois Department of Public Health, respectively.

As of May 21, the Friday before Belleville 201 held its clinics, Superintendent Brian Mentzer said about 700 of the 1,000 slots over the two days had been filled, with more sign-ups over the weekend.

About 40 people had pre-registered for the clinic at East St. Louis High School on Friday, but registration wasn’t required, said Sydney Stigge-Kaufman, director of communications for District 189. By the end of the date 46 people were vaccinated, including some adults. Some families who pre-registered and didn’t show told the district they were able to get vaccinated elsewhere.

Both districts are hosting clinics in a few weeks to administer the second dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, which is the only COVID vaccine currently authorized for anyone under the age of 18.

After the Pfizer vaccine was authorized for children as young as 12, St. Clair County Officials noted that clinics based out of schools would likely be one of the most efficient ways to vaccinate kids.

They’re not the only option, though. Myla Blandford, executive director of the St. Clair County Health Department, said more than 900 12- through 15-year-olds had been through the mass vaccination site at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds as of Monday.

The mass vaccination site in Belleville will close after Sunday, but shots are available at pharmacies and other vaccine sites around the county.

Madison County is also vaccinating students — and anyone else in the community — at schools. Already, 34 children and teenagers were vaccinated at a clinic at Long Elementary School in Madison and another 125 at Granite City High School, according to the Madison County Health Department.

Already, the Madison County Health Department has announced clinic dates at 15 schools between now and July 7.

As more and more older Illinoisians qualify to get vaccinated, youth cases have comprised a greater percentage of new cases. More than a quarter of the 136 new COVID-19 cases in St. Clair County between May 21 and last Thursday were attributed to people under the age of 20, according to data from the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency.

During the peak of daily new cases in Illinois — between Nov. 17 and Nov. 23 — youth and teen cases in St. Clair County comprised 16% of new cases.

Anyone ages 12 and up is eligible to be vaccinated in Illinois.

Kaitlyn Jackson was already back in school for fully in-person learning before she was vaccinated, but said she feels more comfortable knowing she’s doing her part to stay safe and keep others safe as well.

After she wraps up this school year in June, she’s looking forward to starting high school with a fresh start.

“I missed so much stuff I needed,” she said.

This story was originally published May 31, 2021 at 5:00 AM.