WEST FARGO, N.D. (Essentia Health) – Area students are invited to participate in an upcoming student vaccination clinic. Essentia Health is partnering with West Fargo Public Schools to host a student vaccination clinic for anyone age 12 and older from 3 to 8 p.m. on Monday, May 24, at the vaccination center in the former Gordmans building, located at 5100 14th Avenue E in Fargo. This event is open to all area students.

In addition to COVID-19 vaccinations, there will be information about sports physicals, well-child exams and other immunizations school-age kids may need. Scheduling staff will be on hand to set up these future appointments.

You do not need to be an Essentia Health patient to receive your vaccination at this clinic. Anyone under the age of 18 must have parent or legal guardian consent to be eligible for the shot. Parents or guardians can print and sign a consent form or they can accompany their child to the clinic.

Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins will be accommodated as vaccine supply allows. Patients and non-patients can make an appointment through Essentia’s MyChart patient portal or by calling (833) 494-0836.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children are increasingly accounting for more of the United States’ new COVID cases, underscoring the importance of immunization among adolescents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called the safety monitoring for COVID vaccines “the most intense and comprehensive in U.S. history.” Through the first 150 million doses administered in the U.S., there were about 50,000 adverse reactions, with less than 8,000 of those categorized as serious. That equates to a 0.0003% chance of adverse reaction for the overall population.

All three vaccines currently available in the U.S. — Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — are remarkably effective at preventing COVID infections, and all three are almost 100% effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths.