School is already set to begin this calendar month and Schuylkill County is offering services to help protect its students ages 12 and up.

The Response, Recovery & Renewal task force is in the midst of Operation Vaccination, which kicked off July 27.

Seven pop-up type vaccination clinics will be offered by the end of the month. Over the past week, clinics were held at Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Saint Clair and Minersville school districts.

“The vaccination of students and community members needs to be a top priority as our students return to the schools and our residents return to the workforce,” said Wendy Lazo, president of St. Luke’s Miners Campus.

Dr. Greg Koons, Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 Executive Director, said each clinic forecasts a minimum of 50 participants.

“We’re not restricting it to just students and their families, honestly, (it’s open) to any resident in the area,” Koons added.

Koons confirmed Wednesday that the latest recommendations are for students ages 12 and up to be vaccinated and also for all students to wear masks while in school.

It’s no secret there has been a recent statewide surge in reported COVID-19 cases. Last Aug. 4, one year ago, roughly 800 cases were reported by the Department of Health. Looking at current DOH data, 165 cases were reported on July 1. That number steadily climbed across the past month, as over 1,731 cases were reported in the state Thursday.

“We understand and respect that there are families who are opposed to the vaccination. It’s just that we wanted to make sure we put all resources out there to protect and keep our students safe,” said Koons. “We really feel it’s going to help with the approaching school year - the more that are vaccinated.”

However, those are only recommendations from above, and are not currently mandates.

“They’re leaving it up to each individual school,” Koons said. “That’s the stance that Gov. Wolf is taking, as well as the Pa. Department of Health. We do feel like there are going to be future updates.”

The most recent updates from the DOH were released on July 30, which included some recommendations for people who are fully vaccinated.

In counties with substantial or high transmission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and DOH recommends that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask in public indoor settings.

Fully vaccinated people who have had a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be tested 2-5 days after exposure and should wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days, or until they receive a negative test.

Regardless of vaccination status, any person with new or unexplained symptoms of COVID-19 still needs to isolate and be evaluated for SARS-CoV-2 testing.

“I want to say, the districts are optimistic that we can return fully in person,” Koons said. “We’re going to wait for updated guidance. I’m sure more will come out within the next two weeks - with the mask-wearing specifically. We’re optimistic we can maximize the amount of face-to-face instruction. That’s what we pride ourselves in public education - meaningful instruction.”

Koons and the Schuylkill County superintendents have been meeting biweekly during the summer months.

The RRR task force held another vaccination clinic at the Schuylkill County fair on Wednesday. A clinic at the Shenandoah Area School District is set for Aug. 10, while another at Pottsville is scheduled for Aug. 17.