Nearly 1,000 students (and some relatives) get vaccinated at Fayette County high schools.

Lexington high school senior Rebekah Adams was one of nearly 1,000 people, including students 16 and over, who got their COVID-19 vaccines Tuesday at Fayette County’s six main high schools.

“I’m just hoping that everything will be able to open back up soon and we’ll be able to get rid of masks soon, especially if the whole school can get through it,” said Adams, 17, who received her first shot at Paul Laurence Dunbar High.

Acting Superintendent Marlene Helm, at a news conference at Dunbar, said people who got their first dose Tuesday would be able to get their second dose by the end of the school year.

Helm said that at Lafayette High School Tuesday, three generations of the Creech family in Lexington received their vaccine.

Aaron Creech, a junior, who lived just down the street from Lafayette, was vaccinated along with his brother, father, and grandmother. His grandmother had not previously left home during the pandemic, Helm said.

Fayette County Public Schools partnered with the company Wild Health and the Urban County Government to offer the COVID-19 vaccine at all six main Fayette high schools on Tuesday. As of early afternoon, district officials did not know how many of those who were vaccinated were high school students.

Students younger than 16 are not yet approved for the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Throughout the pandemic we have made progress through partnerships,” Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said at the news conference. “Today is another example of that, and a very important example because it will protect our children.”

Gorton said school and city officials don’t know yet if federal officials will require students to get the COVID-19 vaccines.

Students and employees who are fully vaccinated, meaning that they are weeks past the second dose, may not need to quarantine should they be exposed to COVID-19 in the future, officials said.

“The months we spent apart have given us a new appreciation for being together, and we recognize that increasing the number of fully vaccinated individuals in Lexington is a key step in a return to normalcy for us all,” said Helm.

The clinic offered the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, which is administered as a shot in the arm as a series of two doses, three weeks apart.

At the high school vaccine clinics, the city also provided information to students about summer employment opportunities. These include positions with the city and through a partnership with Commerce Lexington, positions with Lexington businesses.

“Many businesses are looking for employees, and this is the perfect opportunity to let youth know of opportunities for the summer,” said Gorton. “The city needs to hire more lifeguards, as well as other positions for the summer. We look forward to these clinics bringing new opportunities for our community’s youth.”

The city on Tuesday surpassed 129,000 residents, or 40 percent, being fully vaccinated, including 50 percent of the adults and 76 percent of those 65 and older.

“The only way we can reach herd immunity is by partnering and working together,” Gorton said.

This story was originally published April 27, 2021 at 1:42 PM.