Summary

On or before the first day of instruction, all K-12 students in Washington state must be up to date on vaccinations required for school, whether attending classes in-person or remotely. King County children ages 4-18 can get all vaccines required for school entry at upcoming free clinics in Federal Way, Kent, Renton, and Tukwila. Childhood vaccination rates have dipped significantly during the pandemic; now is the best time to get caught up!

Story

Vaccinations required for school entry are available at free, convenient vaccination events beginning Tuesday, August 3rd in Federal Way, Renton, Kent, and Tukwila.

Each of these vaccination events will provide all vaccines required for K-12 school entry, including Tdap, DTaP, MMR, hepatitis B, varicella, and polio.

In addition, free COVID-19 vaccinations will be available for anyone age 12 or older.

The vaccine events in Federal Way, Renton, and Tukwila are co-hosted by HealthPoint, Public Health – Seattle & King County, and Federal Way Public Schools, Renton School District, and Tukwila School District, respectively. In Kent, Public Health will run a free immunization booth at a health fair hosted by Latinos Promoviendo La Buena Salud in partnership with the Kent YMCA.

As routine medical visits were postponed during the pandemic, childhood vaccination rates have dropped. In 2020, 17% fewer vaccines were administered to children under age 19 compared to the pre-pandemic five-year average (2015-2019).

Childhood vaccinations are vital to protect both your child's health and the community from serious illnesses, like measles and whooping cough," said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer, Public Health – Seattle & King County. "In addition, in Washington state, all students are required to be up to date on vaccinations by the very first day of school this fall. I'm grateful to our community partners, like HealthPoint, for their help in making childhood vaccinations free and easy to get."

Vaccine event dates and locations:

In Federal Way, visit the HealthPoint TAF@Saghalie, at 33914 19th Ave SW, Federal Way, WA, on Tuesday, August 3, from 3 – 7 PM.

In Kent, visit the Latinos Promoviendo La Buena Salud health fair at the Kent YMCA, at 10828 SE 248th St, Kent, WA, on Saturday, August 7, from 10 AM – 2 PM.

In Renton, visit the Renton High School Health Center, at 400 S 2nd St, Renton, WA, on Wednesday, August 11, from 3 – 7 PM.

In Tukwila, visit Showalter Middle School, at 4640 144th St, Tukwila, WA, on Wednesday, August 18, from 3 – 7 PM.

Appointments are recommended but not required for the Federal Way and Renton events. To access the appointment link, visit www.kingcounty.gov/findaclinic. No appointment is required for the Kent and Tukwila events.

Vaccinations will be available to everyone, at no cost, regardless of immigration or citizenship status. No health insurance is required. Spanish interpretation will be available.

Please wear short sleeves and make sure everyone over the age of 2 wears a mask. If getting childhood vaccines, please bring any vaccination records available.