The Grand Traverse County Health Department (GTCHD) will hold several school-based vaccination clinics to reach high schoolers ages 16 and older starting this week.

The clinics will be available to anyone 16 years of age and older and additional staff members. No appointments are necessary. Parental or guardian approval is required. Parents should watch for an email message or direct communication from their child’s school for specifics regarding each school clinic. The timing of the clinics will allow students to receive two doses of the Pfizer vaccine prior to the end of the school year.

Clinics will be held on the following dates:

> TC West: Friday, April 23
> TC Central: Monday, April 26
> TC Christian: Wednesday, May 5
> GT Academy: Wednesday, May 5
> TC High: Friday, May 7 

“Vaccinating the 16-to-18-year-old high school population means fewer quarantines, missed in-person educational days, exclusions from sports, and supports achieving a school-based immunity rate that protects all students and staff,” says GTCHD Health Officer Wendy Hirschenberger. “It also helps protect their parents, grandparents, and friends. With the current surge in numbers of cases affecting the younger population, it is critical to get vaccinated to slow the spread of COVID-19.”

Additional vaccine clinics will be announced in the coming weeks.