Niagara Public Health is encouraging students in the region to get fully vaccinated before the start of school.
Students can be fully vaccinated for the first day of school on Sept. 7 if they receive their second dose of vaccine by Aug 24.
Public Health says full protection against COVID-19 infection comes two weeks after the second dose is received, so that's why they are urging students 12 years and older to receive their vaccines as soon as possible.
Youth who have received their first Pfizer vaccine must wait at least 21 days before their second dose.
That means teens need to get their first dose within the next week to be able to get their second dose by Aug 24 and have full protection by the time school resumes.
Youth are invited to walk in to any Niagara Region Public Health COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. They can also book an appointment online through the provincial portal at Ontario.ca/bookvaccine or by call the provincial booking system at 1-833-943-3900.
Youth still have a way to go to reach the same level of protection as adults in Niagara.
As of July 26, 56% of eligible 12-17 year olds have had their first dose and 35% are protected with two doses.