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This page offers all of Delaware Public Media's ongoing coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak and how it is affecting the First State. Check here regularly for the latest new and information.

Delaware opens new vaccination clinics, starts offering doses to 12-15 year olds

Daniel Schludi / Unsplash

The First State continues efforts to boost its vaccination numbers.

State health officials announce four standing clinics are now open, offering COVID vaccine shots with or without an appointment.

The clinics will operate weekdays in Wilmington, Newark, Dover and Georgetown. They join Public Health clinics located in state service centers in providing a standing opportunity to get vaccinated.

Div. of Public Health director Dr. Karyl Rattay says they’ll operate over the next few months.

“We have the capacity to vaccinate about 4,000 people in these clinics each week, which is really going to help with the capacity, especially since those larger vaccination clinics, like Dover International Speedway, are no longer operating on a regular basis," said Rattay.

Delaware's new stading vaccination clinic locations:

  • Oxford Plaza - 56 Chapman Road, Suite 100, Newark, DE 19702 
  • Canby Park -1946 Maryland Ave., Wilmington, DE 19805
  • Blue Hen Corporate Center - 655 S. Bay Road, Suite 1A, Dover, DE 19901
  • Georgetown Plaza -19 Georgetown Plaza, Georgetown, DE 19947

State officials say they also hope to start showing up public and community events to distribute vaccine doses.  They will be at this weekend’s NASCAR races in Dover and hope visit farmers markets, outdoor concerts and community festivals.
The First State is also already giving vaccine doses to kids between 12 and 15.

That age group just became eligible to receive doses of the Pfizer vaccine Monday and Rattay says providers locally started administering doses to them immediately.

This newly eligible group can get shots at many of the same places adults receive them and the state has set up a special websiteto offer information on vaccinating this age group.

AndRattay says it’s possible they could help convince some adults to get vaccinated too.

“So many times in public health, we see kids really influencing their parents.  So it will be interesting to see, but I would guess there will be examples where kids are not only telling their parents they want to get vaccinated, but also talking their parents into getting vaccinated as well.”

Rattay notes the trials show the Pfizer vaccine is very effective in this age group.

"The trials for this vaccine among this age group are just astonishing," said Rattay. "In the group that received the vaccine, not a single one got infected with COVID-19."

Rattay also reminds people that kids 12-to-17 should only receive the Pfizer vaccine.

Just over 336,000 Delawareans are considered fully vaccinated.  About 94,000 more state residents have received the first of their two vaccine doses.

Tom Byrne has been a fixture covering news in Delaware for three decades. He joined Delaware Public Media in 2010 as our first news director and has guided the news team ever since. When he's not covering the news, he can be found reading history or pursuing his love of all things athletic.