SCRANTON, Pa. — With the West Scranton High School band, cheerleaders, and a COVID-19 vaccination clinic, the Scranton Federation of Teachers is gearing up for back to school.
It wanted to give students aged 12 and up the opportunity to get the shot.
Seventh-grader Chalize Bert was one of them.
"It feels like a normal shot. It's not like a different shot or anything, and it's really quick," Bert said.
Amy Orzel brought her son Sam, who is going to be a senior in high school.
"He has a little bit of asthma, and I would hate to see him catch COVID. I don't know how it would affect him, so I wanted him to be vaccinated," Orzel said.
The national president for the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, was also there.
She was drumming up excitement for a safe and welcoming return to school.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, cases of COVID-19 are on a substantial rise in the U.S. right now.
Almost 94,000 new cases among children were added in the past week.
Allyson Favuzza of Hometown Health Care was giving out the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.
She said more kids and college-aged students have been looking to get the shot in the past two weeks as cases in young people are increasing.
"Some of these 14-year-old boys are like, I want the COVID shot, not the flu shot, but the Covid shot, but it's great. Some of them are doing well. Obviously, some kids are very needle shy, and that's understandable," Favuzza said.
Students in the Scranton School District return for in-person classes on September 7.
The district said masks are recommended but not required for students, regardless of their vaccination status.