An autumn push to get COVD-19 booster shots into more teenagers’ arms is expected in Montgomery County, Maryland. “That 12-to-17-year-old population are the ones that have the lowest boosted levels,” said Sean O’Donnell, the administrator for Montgomery County’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response program. “They go to a congregant setting in schools everyday, so we would like them to be up to date,” he said.

Of that age group in the county, 26% of Black children, 27% of Latino children, 50% of Asian children and 53% of white children have received a COVID booster shot. While COVID-19 transmission rates are low in Montgomery County, health leaders there believe it would be wise to increase the 12-to-17-year-old vaccine booster rates by the fall because of the seasonality of respiratory illness.

“I would expect that we’re going to have a big push to get people boosted before the school year, otherwise, I think we could see a lot more problems in schools in the fall if people maintain these similarly low vaccination [boosted] rates during a period when the virus is spreading more regularly,” said Earl Stoddard, the county’s assistant chief administrative officer. Public health officials believe many 12-to-17-year-olds are ready for COVID-19 boosters because many got vaccinated as soon as they were eligible.