NORTH SMITHFIELD – Supt. Michael St. Jean has announced a vaccination clinic to be held in Woonsocket next week providing COVID-19 vaccines to age-qualifying North Smithfield High School students and their adult family members.
Students age 16 to 18 must sign up for the event by 8 a.m. Friday, April 30 in order to receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the clinic at Monsignor Gadoury Catholic Regional School at 1371 Park Ave.
The location is jointly run by the North Smithfield and Woonsocket Fire Departments, along with an army of volunteers.
“They have a very quick, safe, and efficient process,” St. Jean noted in a letter to students and families.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine for those age 16 and older. The Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines are approved for those age 18 and up.
There is no vaccine approved yet for children under age 16.
According to data from the Rhode Island Department of Health, 6.217 state residents between the ages of 15 and 18 have already been vaccinated.
North Smithfield is slightly ahead of the state average in the percent of residents both fully and partially vaccinated, with 61.5 percent, or 6,413 people receiving their first dose, and 43.8 percent, or 4,574 fully vaccinated. Statewide 57.3 percent of eligible Rhode Islanders are at least partially vaccinated, and 39 percent have completed the process.
Woonsocket is currently the least-vaccinated municipality in the state with just 28 percent of residents receiving their final dose.
Since the start of the pandemic, 1,386 North Smithfield residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of those, 89 have been hospitalized and 62 have died, according to RIDOH.
The clinic for North Smithfield students will be held next Thursday or Friday, will the final date to be announced, and second doses administered three weeks later. The superintendent sent out a survey on Wednesday, April 28 to gauge how many doses should be reserved.
The district will provide shuttle transportation to the clinic from North Smithfield High School, and classes will remain in session.
“Thank you for your support in keeping our community safe and healthy,” St. Jean said.
