Eligible students, staff and their families will be able to receive their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, May 5, following the announcement from Las Cruces Public Schools that a second clinic will take place from 10 a.m. to noon in the north parking lot at Las Cruces High School.
The district vaccinated 79 students last week at its first clinic. Anyone 16 years of age and older, with parent permission, was eligible. Those same students will receive their second dose on May 19.
Through a partnership with the New Mexico Department of Health and the Office of Emergency Management, district officials say more doses will be available this week, allowing opportunities for staff and families of students and staff to be vaccinated if they haven’t already.
“It’s understandable that some parents are still not comfortable with vaccinating their children against COVID-19, and we certainly respect that,” said Sandy Peugh, Director of Health Services at LCPS. “Although we know that most children who test positive for coronavirus have mild symptoms, the bigger threat is that they can infect adults in and outside of their families. From the data that has been collected so far, the CDC has advised that older children are spreading the virus more easily than younger children, validating why it is important to vaccinate students who are eligible to receive vaccine. It just makes sense to immunize our kids who may be transmitting the disease.”
There are 200 doses of vaccine available Wednesday. To sign up for an appointment, go to https://vaccinenm.org/ and create a profile. Once you have created a profile, you can register for an appointment using the event code LCPSVAX. Anyone under 18 years of age must bring a signed parental consent form with them to the vaccination clinic if they are not accompanied by a parent or guardian. Forms are available for download here or students can also pick one up from their school nurse.