NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — It’s an an effort to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19.
Newport News Mayor McKinley Price spent his day as a volunteer, vaccinating people against COVID-19.
As a dentist, he can administer COVID-19 vaccines to people who wanted one. Price said his number one goal is to let people know the vaccine is safe and effective.
“I’m here to help people get shots in arms, ” he said.
This wasn't the first time Mayor Price volunteered to vaccinate people in Newport News. On Tuesday, he helped out at a COVID-19 clinic at Warwick High School.
Price said, “I’m happy that people are beginning to see the importance of this and the necessity of getting vaccines in the arm because that's the only way we are going to get this under control.”
More than 200 people showed up for a COVID-19 vaccine. Most of the people who showed up were Newport News Public School students.
“I was a little nervous on the first dose, cause of the needle and how it would feel but after it was done I didn't have any nervousness, especially coming for the second dose, ” explained Sebastian Wainwright
Wainwright said one reason he got the COVID-19 vaccine is because of the new Delta variant. His mom says now the whole family is fully vaccinated.
“All of our family has it now. His father, my husband, myself all now have it and I feel 100% safe,” explained Wainwright’s mom.
Newport News is currently labeled a high level of community transmission according to VDH. Price said there is no better time to get the COVID-19 vaccine than right now.
“We had a taste of normalcy, but with this variant, we are going to have to go back for a while, mask up and ensure that people get vaccinations so we can end this,” Price said.
Newport News Public School leaders are encouraging parents and guardians to register their children to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
School leaders say the vaccine is not required for students to head back to school.
If you plan to vaccinate your child, each student needs to show up with their parent or guardian. If that's not possible, a consent form is needed.
Vaccine clinic consent forms are available in all school offices and at the school Administration Building.