Salem Schools To Host Coronavirus Vaccination Clinics With Prizes

SALEM, MA — The coronavirus vaccination push for Salem students next week will include prizes.

Salem Superintendent of Schools Steve Zrike said on Wednesday that students who get a shot during one of the two in-school vaccine clinics next week will be eligible to win prizes such as Nintendo Switch or Amazon gift cards.

The first clinic will be at Salem High School from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday with the second clinic at Collins Middle School from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Parents do not need to be with the students for them to get vaccinated but must sign a consent form.

"This is the most important thing we can be doing is making sure everyone is vaccinated," Zrike said during his weekly Facebook Life session. "Our numbers are moving up, but not high enough."

Zrike said the number of eligible students who have gotten vaccinated is "getting closer to 60 percent."

"We can be better," Zrike siad. "Salem — we need to do better."

Zrike said over the next few weeks teachers will be reminding students about the importance of getting vaccinated while cases persist in the district.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

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