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Boone County opening vaccination clinic for students

Lebanon, Ind. (WISH) — The Boone County Health Department is opening one of the first student-oriented vaccine clinic in central Indiana.

The clinic is open to all students, regardless of where you live. 

This will be one of three vaccination clinics offered by the Boone County Health Department aimed at students. The clinic will accept walk-ups but they prefer you to make an appointment.  

The health department is getting a shipment of the Pfizer vaccine, which is currently the only vaccine approved for people 16 and older. In order for a student under the age of 18 to get the vaccine, they will need permission from a parent. And even with a signed permission slip, the health department will call the student’s guardian.  

“They will need to print off a permission form sign everything and bring that with them and if we do have a kiddo, say, where a parent or guardian are not able to be with them, we are going to be calling the parent,” Claire Haughton of the Boone County Health Department said. 

Over the past several months, the county has offered the Moderna vaccine. And they are almost to the point where they are accepting anyone 18 years or older for walk-in appointments.

 Mike Strode is a Lebanon native, with three kids in the school system, one of which is in high school.  

 “We are not vaccinating our kids. Me and my wife are not vaccinated it is just our own pejorative. I’m not saying it is good or bad on either side, it’s just not now” Strode said.  

According to the Indiana State Department of Health, more than 45% of the Boone County population over the age of 16 is fully vaccinated. That is one of the highest vaccination rates in the state. The student clinic is believed to be the first of its kind.

“We will accept folks from other school districts as well. We could possibly be the only ones doing a clinic like this right now. If that is the case, we really encourage people to make appointments because we don’t want to be overwhelmed,” Haughton said.  

The first clinic will be held this Saturday at the Lebanon high school, the second clinic on May 22 at the Boone County Fairgrounds and the third on June 12, also at the Boone County Fairgrounds. Follow this link to sign up.