More than 98% of 12- to 17-year-olds in New Canaan have been vaccinated against COVID-19 virus, according to the town’s health director.
And 100% of town residents aged 18 to 44 also are vaccinated, Jenn Eielson told members of the Health & Human Services Commission during their regular meeting, held Thursday via videoconference.
The 45- to 64-year-old age bracket stands at about 89%, while 100% of those aged 65-and-over are vaccinated, Eielson said during an update to the Commission.
“The percentage of the total population with at least one dose—this includes those that re not currently eligible, is 80.12%,” she said. Eielson added that 72.9% of the total population is fully vaccinated.
The town’s Health Department was scheduled to run a booster clinic Thursday of Moderna and Pfizer shots, she said, and 350 people registered for that. A booster clinic for teachers will be held Nov. 10, and on Nov. 11, municipal health officials are launching a “youth campaign” serving 5- to 11-year-olds, and 1,000 kids already are registered for that, Eielson said. (The clinic’s capacity is about 1,200, officials said.)
Commissioner Tom Ferguson asked how many New Canaan Public Schools teachers are vaccinated.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Bryan Luizzi said during Monday’s regular meeting of the Board of Education that more than 97% of the public schools’ faculty is vaccinated, along with about 94% of non-certified staff members. Those who are not vaccinated undergo mandatory weekly testing for the virus, Luizzi said.
Eielson said that on the town’s side, the requirement for unvaccinated municipal workers to undergo weekly testing has led to more of them getting the vaccine.
On Nov. 17, the town Health Department will run a vaccine clinic for New Canaan Country School students, and 210 of 360 kids there already are registered for that. St. Aloysius School will be scheduled for Dec. 1, and that school has about 100 kids in the eligible age bracket.
Dr. Harrison Pierce, the Commission’s chair, asked whether the town is required to vaccinate the private school students even though many of them do not reside in town. Eielson said yes, because the schools are located in New Canaan.
The town as of Thursday morning’s meeting had 11 positive cases of COVID-19, compared to 13 the full week before. Officials are monitoring transmission rates in the wake of Halloween, Eielson said.
[The headline has been corrected with the correct clinic date.]
Continue to be very grateful to the town and in particular to Jen Eielson for her work in organizing these vaccine clinics. My husband and I were both vaccinated through the town clinic and now my kids will be too, before the upcoming holidays. Thank you!!