Over 50% Of Eligible Braintree Students Are Fully Vaccinated

BRAINTREE, MA — With the first day of school about a week away, more than half of eligible students in Braintree Public Schools will head back to class on Sept. 1 fully vaccinated against coronavirus.

That's according to data shared by school Nursing Director Kristin Houlihan at Wednesday night's school committee meeting. Houlihan told the committee 50 percent of students ages 12-15 are fully vaccinated, and 80 percent of students ages 16-19 are also fully vaccinated.

"Our numbers are good," Houlihan said. "We're hoping for a much better year. We are so excited to have the kids back in school."

As of August, only the Pfizer version of the vaccine was approved for use in children under age 18. The number of vaccinated students is just over 60 percent when also counting students who have received one shot — in some cases, that could mean a student is fully vaccinated because the Johnson and Johnson version — which is only approved for people age 18 or over — is given in a single dose. The two-shot Moderna version is also available for anyone over 18.

Braintree, like every other school district in Massachusetts, will have to start the school year with an indoor mask mandate. The mandate will last until at least Oct. 1, and will require the help of vaccinations to be lifted.

Houlihan said a school will need a vaccination rate of at least 80 percent before any mask mandates can be lifted, per state rules.

Check back later for more information on Braintree Public Schools' 2021-22 COVID-19 guidelines.