PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Department of Health said on Wednesday that more than 50% – or 304,435 – adult residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank all South Dakotans who have chosen to get their COVID-19 vaccine — protecting themselves, their family and their community,” said Kim Malsam-Rysdon, Secretary of Health. “Vaccines are safe and are the quickest way out of this pandemic.”
State health officials began Phase 2 of South Dakota’s vaccination plan on April 5, which made coronavirus vaccines available to all state residents age 16 and older.
Click here to be connected to a health provider to receive your free COVID-19 vaccine, or you can text GETVAX to 438-829 (English) or VACUNA to 822-862 (Spanish) to find the nearest vaccination location.
The South Dakota Department of Health also announced that adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 are eligible to receive their vaccine. The FDA gave emergency authorization for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Monday, but many states were waiting for the CDC’s recommendations on Wednesday.
New advice coming from the CDC also says it’s OK for people of any age to get a coronavirus shot at the same time as other needed vaccinations.
“Given vaccines have proven safe and effective, offering them to this age group is yet another way to protect our citizens and our communities against COVID-19,” said Daniel Bucheli, Communications Director for the South Dakota Department of Health. “Our partners across the state stand ready to get shots in arms, and we encourage parents to protect their children from the virus by getting them vaccinated today.”
Under South Dakota law, parental consent is still required to vaccinate minors.
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