Following up on our announcement last week, we are excited to share plans for COVID-19 vaccination for students on campus.
We have been working in partnership with Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC) a leading independent, non-profit healthcare provider in the state of Connecticut to organize a vaccination opportunity for students on campus. As of April 1, Connecticut residents who are 16 and over, including all students living at boarding schools in Connecticut, are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
CHC will be bringing a mobile vaccination program to our campus on April 26 and 27 for the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, approved for individuals age 16 and up. Second doses will be provided on May 17 and 18. Next week we will share a link for students and families to complete the necessary pre-registration, provide consent, and schedule an appointment. Students age 18 and older will provide their own consent for vaccination. Parental consent will be required for students ages 16-17.
We are strongly encouraging all eligible students to take advantage of this vaccination opportunity on campus. If you have already scheduled an appointment for your student to be vaccinated off campus, and they have not yet received their first dose, we encourage you to take advantage of the on campus clinic, in order to reduce the exposure that students returning to campus may bring to our residential community. For students who have a 16th birthday after April 27, we will allow off-campus vaccination appointments arranged by the family, provided that we can continue to mitigate the risks to campus.
Students who have already received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine will need to return to their original vaccination site for the second dose. Please contact Danielle Shippey, director of health services, for further instructions regarding second doses.
Please watch for details on the upcoming registration process, and thank you for your continuing support of Hotchkiss as we navigate the pandemic.
Sincerely,
