- Credibility:
GREATER GRAND CROSSING — Children and their families can get vaccinated for free at a South Side clinic this weekend as part of an effort to boost kids’ vaccination rates in Chicago.
The clinic will be held 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at the Gary Comer Youth Center, 7200 S. Ingleside Ave. Though organizers aim to vaccinate kids and teens ages 12-17 and their loved ones, the clinic is open to all.
Attendees will receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine and schedule an appointment for their second dose Aug. 7 at the same location.
To register, click here. Vaccines are also available on a walk-in basis without registration. The shots are free and do not require insurance.
High Jump, an academic nonprofit serving middle schoolers in Chicago, is organizing the clinic along with Chicago Scholars, OneGoal, the Noble Network of Charter Schools and other organizations.
About 44 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds in Chicago received their first vaccine dose as of Sunday, while 33 percent had been fully vaccinated, according to city data.
Citywide, more than 79,000 children ages 12-17 have received their first dose, and 34 children younger than 12 have gotten their first shot through trials as suppliers aim to roll out vaccines for young children this fall.
About 59,400 kids 12-17 have been fully vaccinated, as well as 12 kids under 12.
Vaccination rates for South Side ZIP codes near the Gary Comer Youth Center continue to lag behind the citywide rate of 50.7 percent.
In ZIP code 60621, which covers Englewood, only 28.8 percent of residents are fully vaccinated — the lowest rate of any ZIP code entirely in Chicago.
ZIP code 60649, which covers South Shore, has the second-lowest rate in the city at 32 percent. ZIP code 60619, which includes the youth center, has one of the 10 lowest rates at 36.2 percent.
For more information on how to get vaccinated, visit the city’s website.
Block Club Chicago’s coronavirus coverage is free for all readers. Block Club is an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom.
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