Vaccinations for younger children begin

IRVINGTON, NJ – Grove Street Elementary School recently began administering COVID-19 vaccinations to younger children.

“Vaccinations began to be administered on Nov. 30 from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.,” said Irvington Superintendent April Vauss on Saturday, Dec. 4. “This was a collaboration with the county executive, Joseph DiVincenzo, and Mayor Tony Vauss to ensure that the students of Irvington had an opportunity to be vaccinated. This pediatric vaccination spans children from ages 5 to 11. At this time, younger children can only receive two shots.”

Vaccinating younger children at Grove Street Elementary School and other Irvington schools has already proved quite successful in the first week of vaccinations, said the superintendent.

“The first vaccination shots will be administered from Nov. 20 to Jan. 5 throughout various schools in the township. There are a total (number) of schools where parents may take their child to be vaccinated. This week at Grove Street, there were 60 children vaccinated,” Superintendent Vauss said.

According to Vauss, children are to be observed for a longer period of time than adults after being vaccinated.

“While adults must wait around 15 minutes after being vaccinated, children must wait around 30 minutes. So far, we have had no adverse reactions documented. If the adverse reaction occurs immediately following the vaccination, there is a staff of around 20 medical professions, as well as four officers, who will be able to assist. I believe this is why they mandate strict adherence to the wait time,” she said.

While some parents have expressed support regarding their children receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, other parents are resistant. Vauss said she has been trying to find ways to reassure them that vaccinations are the best thing for their children at this stage, particularly with the advent of the omicron variant.

“There has been some cautiousness, due to the unknown regarding the vaccination; however, the interest of having their children vaccinated is increasing amongst parents. I would not say children have been resistant; however, much like a doctor’s office when children receive shots, there is some crying,” the superintendent said. “I believe confidence will grow in taking the vaccination, while the fear of catching any number of new variants and preventing life continuing as normal. Thus, I believe we will see more parents having their children vaccinated, much like the flu shot.”

In accordance with the pediatric vaccine schedule put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New Jersey Department of Health, vaccinations for Irvington students ages 5 to 11 are broken into two rounds of set dates at elementary schools in Irvington. The first and second round of vaccinations for each school are three weeks apart.

For the first round of vaccinations, Grove Street School’s second dose is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 21; Mount Vernon Avenue School’s first dose was scheduled for Monday, Dec. 6, and its second dose is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 27; Berkeley Terrace School’s first dose is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 13, and its second dose is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 3; Madison Avenue School’s first dose is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 14, and its second dose is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 4; and Florence Avenue School’s first dose is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 5, and its second dose is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 26.

For the second round of vaccinations, Grove Street School’s first dose is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 21, and its second dose is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 11; Berkeley Terrace School’s first dose is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 3, and its second dose is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 24; Madison Avenue School’s first dose is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 4, and its second dose is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 25; Florence Avenue School’s first dose is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 26, and its second dose is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 16; and Mount Vernon Avenue School’s first dose is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 27, and its second dose is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 17.

Parents must register in advance, though same-day registrations are accepted. The registration form can be found at https://irvington.k12.nj.us/21-22-scholar-covid-vaccine-update/.