Natick To Offer Kids Coronavirus Vaccine At Middle School Clinic

NATICK, MA — As coronavirus cases rise slightly in Massachusetts, youngsters in Natick will be able to get inoculated against COVID-19 at a clinic on Saturday.

Kids age 5 to 11 will be able to get their first dose of the Pfizer version of the vaccine at a Kennedy Middle School clinic. The FDA recently approved a special low-dose version of the two-shot Pfizer version for use in people under age 12.

"Let's get our 5-11 year olds vaccinated so we can move away from masking, in school testing and back to normal school living!" Natick Public Schools said in an announcement about the clinic.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has a mask mandate in place for all schools — unless a certain percentage of students and staff are vaccinated. Last month, DESE allowed Hopkinton High School to go mask-free after the school achieved a 95 percent vaccine rate.

COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts are tracking slightly higher as cold weather sets in. An average of more than 1,300 new cases were reported over the weekend, compared to just over 1,000 the previous weekend. Diseases like COVID-19 and influenza typically rise in colder months because more people are together indoors.

Although aimed at people under age 12, Saturday's clinic will be open to anyone who wants a vaccine, according to the school district. The clinic will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and appointments can be made online here.