St. Paul Public Schools to open student vaccine clinics

St. Paul Public Schools aims to get its youngest students vaccinated against COVID-19, and it is setting up clinics at two elementary sites to help make it happen.

Citing barriers that faced some adults earlier this year, Superintendent Joe Gothard said: "We need to make sure that all of our children, all of our students, have access to these lifesaving vaccinations."

Gothard spoke Thursday at Como Park Elementary. There, the district will team with St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health to offer first doses of the Pfizer vaccine to children ages 5-11 from 3 to 6 p.m. on three consecutive Mondays beginning Nov. 15.

Battle Creek Elementary will host vaccine clinics on Tuesdays beginning Nov. 16, also from 3 to 6 p.m.

Appointments are required and registration is available online at ramseycounty.us/covid-19-info/covid-19-vaccine.

St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health also will give shots to kids at community centers and pop-up clinics — with the first such clinic to operate from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Consulate of Mexico, 797 E. 7th St.

"We want to meet the community where they're at — and this is a huge accomplishment that we have a vaccine," said Sara Hollie, director of St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health.

She added the department also has $50 gift card incentives for first and second doses at all clinics while supplies last.