El Paso, Texas (Nov 4, 2021):   With the FDA approval of the COVID-19 vaccine for 5 to 11 year-old children, Immunize El Paso is launching a comprehensive vaccination campaign that will visit nearly 140 schools in the next coming weeks.

“We are excited to bring this collaborative effort to the El Paso community to ensure every child has an opportunity to be protected against COVID-19,” said Dusty Warden, Director of Operations. “This is a huge step towards our return to normalcy,” Warden continued.

IZEP has partnered with El Paso area school districts to provide neighborhood-level vaccination access. The most significant undertaking the non-profit has ever engaged in, they have bolstered staffing and resources to prepare for the immunization drive.

According to the CDC, while COVID-19 tends to be milder in children compared with adults, it can make children very sick and cause children to be hospitalized. In some situations, complications from infection can lead to death. Children with underlying medical conditions are more at risk for severe illness from COVID-19 compared with children without underlying medical conditions. Children infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 can also develop severe complications like multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C)—a condition where different body parts become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.

Parents, children, and community members are invited to each scheduled clinic, regardless of enrollment status. Additionally, each of IZEP’s clinics will carry vaccines, available on a walk-in basis Mon-Fri from 8-5, and Saturdays, 9 am to 12 pm. To pre-register or to view the outreach schedule, parents should visit https://go.izep.org/kids. For more information, please visit immunizeelpaso.org or call 915-533-3414.