‘Super Saturday’ vaccine drives at schools push ‘doing the right thing’
No one at Kashmere High School wanted to be tardy Saturday morning, as a dozen families lined up half an hour before the campus began providing COVID vaccines to those 12 and older and other vaccines needed by school-age children before school starts in coming weeks.
Lynette Petithomme, an already vaccinated nurse, was among those eager to get a shot for her 15-year-old daughter, Uriah Larry, who attended virtual school last year. While Larry can wear masks and take safety precautions, the teen can’t control the actions of others sitting around her during in-person classes.
“So for the same reason that I did it, because I was on the front lines and I had exposure, is the same reason that I’m having her vaccinated because she’s going to have exposure now that she’s going back to school,” Petithomme said.
She is concerned that people aren’t taking COVID-19 seriously enough amid the rise in delta variant cases. While vaccinated people may not develop as many symptoms if they contract the virus, they could still transmit it to others, she said.
DeAngela Vann turned out at Kashmere to get her second dose because she wants to stay healthy for her three elementary-aged children, particularly because they are too young to be vaccinated. She hopes that younger children will be able to get vaccinated soon.
The HISD Board is slated to vote this week on implementing a new mask mandate. Vann said she supports the measure because COVID-19 cases are increasing and people can appear healthy but be carrying and transmitting the virus.
At Dogan Elementary, about 25 people signed up to be vaccinated during the first half-hour of the event. Organizations like the Houston Food Bank and Gustavia Pearls Women’s Outreach partnered to support area families with groceries and school supplies while encouraging them to be vaccinated.
“We want them to be safe when they go back into school. We want their families to feel safe when they go to school, come home. Also, the teachers, faculty members to be safe as well,” Gustavia Pearls Founder Dwantrina Russell said.
Nursing home worker Jason Roberts went to Kashmere with his son Jayvon, 13, to get the COVID vaccine together.
He called getting the shot “doing the right thing.”
“Just do it, you know, for yourself and for your family,” he said.
The remaining “Super Saturday” vaccine drives are scheduled for Aug. 14, 21 and 28.