COVID-19 vaccines for students at school? It’s happening in Lexington next week.

Valarie Honeycutt Spears
·2 min read

Fayette County Public Schools will offer the COVID-19 vaccine for students, families and staff at its six main high schools on Tuesday, Acting Superintendent Marlene Helm told families in a message Saturday night.

All Fayette County students 16 years of age or older are eligible to be vaccinated, as are families and employees. Students who are fully vaccinated two weeks past the second dose may not need to quarantine, should they be exposed to COVID-19 in the future. Nearly 500 students and staff in the district were quarantined in one week recently as cases in the community saw an increase.

“Many students have already been vaccinated, and I encourage you to do the same for yours,” Helm said.

COVID-19 vaccines are not yet approved for children under 16.

The six main high schools are Bryan Station, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Frederick Douglass, Lafayette, Henry Clay and Tates Creek.

The school district has partnered with Wild Health and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to provide the vaccine.

Vaccination sign-ups are available at: kyvax.wildhealth.com The site includes a way for families to give consent for 16- and 17-year-olds to receive the vaccine. Those who register should reserve a spot for the first vaccine on April 27 and a second dose on May 18.

People who have any questions or difficulty with the registration process can contact the Wild Health Help Desk at (859) 217-4679. Federated Transportation Services of the Bluegrass is offering free rides to COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Schedule a ride by calling 888-848-0989.

This opportunity is open to all students, their families, and staff in Fayette County schools regardless of school affiliation. Dozens of students and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 and hundreds have been quarantined since Fayette students began returning to school buildings in February after months of learning from home during the pandemic.

This clinic will offer the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, which is administered as a shot in the arm in a series of two doses, three weeks apart. Studies show this vaccine is 95 percent effective at preventing COVID-19 illness, Helm said.

There is no cost to get the vaccine, Helm said.