COVID-19 School Updates

Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department sent this bulletin at 01/27/2023 08:05 AM PST

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COVID-19 School Updates

Schools digest • January 2023

Our Schools Task Force is here to serve you!  Email us at COVIDSchoolsTaskforce@tpchd.org.

County metrics

See the latest COVID-19 data at tpchd.org/covid19cases.

Guidance

  • Let families and staff know where to find accurate information. Our COVID-19 schools webpage contains up-to-date info, links, flyers, and toolkits on COVID-19 guidance, vaccines, testing, frequently asked questions (FAQ) and other related topics.
  • The most recent additions to the webpage include details to help parents understand why childcare facilities must send sick children home. The Washington State Legislature has required this since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Testing

Stop the spread and test students and staff for Flu A, Flu B and COVID-19 with one test.

The BD Triplex is a rapid antigen point-of-care test and is authorized for use in the Learn to Return COVID-19 testing program. Please see this toolkit to learn more.

Contact schools@healthcommonsproject.org or your Learn to Return program manager.

Vaccines

  • COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective and our best protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends everyone 6 months and older get a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Everyone 6 months and older, if eligible, can receive a bivalent booster dose. These updated boosters are designed to offer more protection against COVID-19, because they target both the original COVID-19 stain and strains BA.4 and BA.5. You can get your bivalent booster dose 2 months after your last COVID-19 vaccine.
  • You can check if you or your child needs a booster with the CDC booster tool.
  • Wondering how to explain what a bivalent booster is? Check out this flyer.
  • Novavax COVID-19 vaccine is also available at all our mobile vaccine clinic sites. This uses an older form of vaccine technology with a protein sub-unit vaccine like the hepatis B vaccine or HPV vaccine. Novavax is now available for those 12 and over as a primary series.
  • You can find your COVID-19 vaccines at org/vaxtothefuture or  vaccines.gov.

Pediatric vaccine clinics

Lakewood Towne Center

  • Open noon-6 p.m., every Saturday through March.
  • Vaccines available while supplies last:
    • All COVID-19 vaccines.
    • Flu vaccine for everyone 18 years and under.
    • Adolescent Tdap, HPV and Meningococcal vaccines.
  • Walk-in only. No appointments needed.

Learn about our Lakewood Towne Center Vaccine Event.Available in English | Español (Spanish) | Русский (Russian) | Українська (Ukrainian)