Month: December 2021

Health Department to offer booster shots for 16- and 17-year-olds

The Unified Government Health Department announced today it is offering COVID-19 booster shots for those who are ages 16 and 17 who are at least six months out from their second dose.

This follows FDA authorization and recommendations from the CDC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.


Booster eligibility for 16- and 17-year-olds


• People ages 16 and 17 are only eligible for a Pfizer booster. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized for 16- and 17-year-olds at this time.

• Individuals ages 16 and 17 must be at least 6 months out from their second dose of Pfizer to be eligible for a booster.

• Bring your vaccination card when coming in for a booster.

COVID-19 vaccine and booster locations

The Health Department provides COVID-19 vaccines for people ages 5 and older, and boosters for individuals ages 16 and older, at the Kmart site, 7836 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.


• Hours through Dec. 17: Wednesday – Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Holiday hours Dec. 20 – Dec. 29: Monday – Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• January hours: to be determined.

The Health Department also offers COVID-19 vaccines for people ages 12 and older, including boosters for eligible people ages 16 and older, at the Health Department building at 619 Ann Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, by appointment only. Call 913-573-8855 to make an appointment.

Additional vaccination sites can be found at vaccines.gov.

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines in Wyandotte County, visit WycoVaccines.org.

Vaccine clinics this weekend

There are also some vaccine clinics coming up this weekend in Wyandotte County, including:

• Free COVID vaccines for children 5-11 years old from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at Donnelly College Event Center, 608 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas. The clinic is open to children. Signups are at https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/697014812138174049/false#/invitation.

• A COVID vaccine drive-through event is planned from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, at Mt. Carmel Church, 2025 N. 12th St., Kansas City, Kansas. This event will have COVID vaccines, testing, flu shots and free food. COVID vaccines are for ages 12 and older, while flu shots are for ages 3 to 65. Everyone who receives a COVID vaccine will get a $25 gift card, and the first 100 people will receive two gift cards. The first 300 people to get a COVID test, COVID vaccine or flu shot will receive a free frozen chicken. The food and giveaways are available until supplies run out. The Wyandotte County Health Equity Task Force is a sponsor of this event, with several other groups.

• Free COVID vaccines will be offered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12, at Sacred Heart Church, 2646 S. 34th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Participants may receive the first, second or third dose. Three COVID vaccines will be available. Participants who are Wyandotte County residents may win a $25 gift card per person, or $100 per family. Vaccines are available for anyone 5 years and older, and booster shots for anyone 18 and older. Free hams and chickens, one per family with at least one vaccinated person, will be given away while supplies last. Also, participants who receive a vaccine will receive a free order of tacos.

KCK schools extend start date for COVID testing program

The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools have extended the start date for a COVID testing program to Jan. 10.

Originally planned to start Dec. 31, the program’s start date now is Jan. 10, according to district officials.

Stephen Linkous, the district’s chief of staff, reported at the Dec. 7 school board meeting that there are more than 50 testing sites in the school district, and a lot of equipment to move to the sites.

The new date will be more closely aligned with federally mandated testing requirements, he said.

Linkous said the school district has a testing policy, not a vaccine mandate, for employees. The district highly encouraged employees and volunteers to get a COVID vaccine, but did not mandate it, according to officials.

Those who do not have COVID vaccines are required to get a COVID test each week, under the district’s policy.

Some testing sites are already operating under an initial pilot testing plan, Linkous said.

School starts on Jan. 3 after the holiday break, and the district waited until Jan. 10 to implement the start of the testing program, he said. It would have been tougher trying to start the program on the day that everyone returns, according to Linkous.

Board member Wanda Brownlee Paige favored professional development presentations on the testing program to make sure all employees had the opportunity to hear about it and ask questions.

Every employee is receiving direct communications about the testing program, and they have been uploading their vaccine records to a district website, according to district officials.

The district also has procedures for volunteers to report their vaccine status.

Linkous reported that 2,800 staff members out of 4,400 employees have uploaded their vaccine cards so far, which is 63 percent.

It is within the range that the district expected to participate, he said. He expects to see more staff participate, he added.

The board has already approved a rollover plan for employees to either roll over sick leave or receive a payout if they do not use the five additional sick days they will receive for getting a vaccine. If the five sick days are not used, they can roll them over after June 30, according to Linkous. They may take a payout of $150 per sick day that they do not use.

The district has a prorated system on the sick days. Those who turned in vaccination cards in December will receive five days of sick leave; while those who turn them in in January will receive four days, according to Linkous. That continues with three sick days for turning in vaccination cards in February; two in March; and one in April.

The KCK school district is planning a vaccine event for ages 5 to 11 from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17, at Grant Elementary School, 1510 N. 4th St. in Kansas City, Kansas.

The vaccine event, “Strikeout Covid,” is cosponsored by the Unified Government Health Department and the Kansas City Royals. It is for children ages 5 to 11.

Youth who receive the Pfizer vaccine will get a free meal on site, and will also receive other giveaways. The Health Department will administer the vaccine.

Parents or guardians must be present at the event. There will be no vaccines at this event for those over 11, and no booster shots will be offered. Masks will be required at the event.

More vaccination events will be planned after the first of the year at other locations, according to Dr. Anna Stubblefield, superintendent.

KDHE to adopt recommendation for booster shots for residents 16 and 17

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment will adopt the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) new booster recommendation and has authorized all COVID-19 vaccine providers to begin administering Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots to eligible adolescents ages 16 and 17.

“The vaccine is safe, effective and free and remains the best way to protect yourself from serious illness,” Janet Stanek, acting secretary said. “With the rise in COVID-19 cases across the state and the rise of the Omicron variant, we encourage all eligible Kansans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shot.”

Kansans who are at least 16 years old and have met the 6-month time period following the primary vaccination series for the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or who had their Johnson and Johnson vaccine at least two months ago, are now eligible to get the COVID-19 booster dose.

Available data show that all three of the COVID-19 vaccines approved or authorized in the United States continue to be highly effective in reducing risk of severe disease, hospitalization, and death, according to KDHE. Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and reduce the spread of the virus and help prevent new variants from emerging, a spokesman stated.

To find a COVID-19 vaccine clinic visit Vaccines.gov.