San Juan Regional Medical Center boosts vaccination efforts

SAN JUAN COUNTY, N.M. – The lines at the vaccine clinics are slowing down and the vaccination rates in San Juan County are going up.

“For those 18 and older completed a series of vaccination whether that was the single Johnson and Johnson shot or the two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna were sitting at 69% which is equal to the whole state of New Mexico,” said Rita Abboud, nurse practitioner with the Public Health Office.

As for 12 to 17-year-olds, health officials said they have seen steady numbers of this population slowly getting vaccinated, especially at the beginning of the school year.

“We have been seeing A lot of middle and high school age students coming to our clinics ever since the authorization was put out,” said Abboud.

While there are still several vaccine clinics popping up around the county, San Juan Regional Medical Center, in an email, said they are offering a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine clinic every Tuesday and Thursday.

"As far as the COVID-19 vaccine is concerned, we are administering the Pfizer vaccine, which is approved for children 12 and up, and wanted to be sure the vaccine is widely available in medical homes to give more accessibility to youth in our community.”

Across the state, for 12 to 17-years-olds, about 51% are fully vaccinated.