College students ages 12 and up can get the Pfizer vaccine, however as of July 21, solely 24% of North Carolinians aged 12-17 have been totally vaccinated, in line with state Secretary of Well being and Human Companies Mandy Cohen. By Aug. 16, that quantity has edged as much as 29.3%.
By Molly Osborne, EdNC.org
With the beginning of college simply days away for many districts, many 12- to 17-year-oldsare not vaccinated in North Carolina. College students ages 12 and up can get the Pfizer vaccine, however as of July 21, solely 24% of North Carolinians aged 12-17 have been totally vaccinated, in line with state Secretary of Well being and Human Companies Mandy Cohen. By Aug. 16, that quantity has edged as much as 29.3%.
EducationNC analyzed information from North Carolina’s Division of Well being and Human Companies (DHHS) to see vaccinations by county for youngsters 12-17. DHHS tracks the quantity and share of North Carolinians who’ve acquired at the least one vaccine shot and the quantity and share who’re totally vaccinated. It additionally tracks vaccinations administered by federal suppliers and by North Carolina suppliers. DHHSpublishes the information in a dashboard on its web site.
Right here is the share of youngsters ages 12 to 17 who’ve acquired at the least one vaccine shot as of Aug. 16 and the share who’re totally vaccinated as of Aug. 9.
This information was downloaded from DHHS’ dashboard on Aug. 17. A number of counties had lacking information from Aug. 16 for the share totally vaccinated, so the spreadsheet additionally shows Aug. 9 information that’s extra full.
Beneath is a map that illustrates the distribution of vaccinations across the state. Hover over the county to see the % of youngsters ages 12 to 17 who’ve acquired at the least one shot (as of Aug. 16) and the % who’re totally vaccinated (as of Aug. 9). The darker-shaded counties symbolize these with the next share with at the least one shot whereas the lighter-shaded counties are these with a decrease share.
As in July, bigger counties like Durham, Wake, and Orange have the best share of 12- to 17-year-olds with at the least one shot. Orange has 68.3% of 12- to 17-year-olds with one shot of their arm, Wake has 58.7%, and Durham 52.9%.
Six counties have lower than 10% of 12- to 17-year-olds with at the least one shot: Clay, Jones, Graham, Cherokee, Montgomery, and Currituck.
Vaccination information for Hyde and Tyrell counties isn’t accessible. In accordance with DHHS, information for any county demographic subgroup (like age group) that has a inhabitants of lower than 500 will probably be suppressed for privateness.
Relating to totally vaccinated kids ages 12 to 17, as of Aug. 9, Orange has 49.8%, Wake has 31.9%, and Durham has 33.3%. Watauga, notably, has 33.6% of 12- to 17-year-olds totally vaccinated.
Latestguidance from DHHSsays faculties ought to promote vaccination for college students older than 12, lecturers, employees members, and households.This information providesseveral examples of how faculties can promote vaccinations amongst college students and employees, together with internet hosting on-site vaccine occasions and sharing info with dad and mom.
A number of college districts are internet hosting vaccine clinics within the subsequent two weeks. Nonetheless, not all are following state steerage. Thelocal board of schooling in Dare County voted to not actively promote vaccines, which means they don’t seem to be internet hosting clinics, sending info dwelling to folks, or placing info on their web site.
When requested for touch upon Dare County Board of Training’s resolution, Gov. Roy Cooper mentioned, “Holding college students within the classroom in individual is so important for his or her schooling, and vaccines, masks, and different protections are one of the best ways to try this. Already there are faculties having to ship kids dwelling due to COVID infections and quarantine protocols. Native schooling officers ought to do all they’ll to advertise vaccines, require masks, and maintain kids safely within the classroom.”
This text first appeared on EducationNC and is republished right here beneath a Artistic Commons license.
https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2021/08/28/n-c-kids-are-going-back-to-school-how-many-12-to-17-year-olds-are-vaccinated/
