Gov. Kathy Hochul is relaunching her statewide #VaxtoSchool campaign to boost COVID-19 vaccination rates among students ahead of the 2022-2023 school year. 

The governor aims to have all children ages 6 months to 13-years-old to have at least one vaccine dose before the first day of school this year.

Hochul says the state is partnering with SOMOS, a physician-led network made up of over 2,500 doctors who treat patients in low-income communities, where some of the lowest vaccination numbers are. 

“The only way the virus can duplicate is by preying on people who are not vaccinated,” says Dr. Juan Tapia, a pediatrician with SOMOS. “For the past decade, we have seen a resurgence of infectious diseases that we thought we were going to be able to eliminate, like malaria, yellow fever, polio, COVID-19  -- which has killed more than a million Americans.”

Hochul says the campaign will not only ensure that vaccines are more accessible, but it will also provide information and resources to children and their families.

The relaunch comes ahead of the state’s Fall Action Plan,  which will bring three million COVID-19 tests to schools statewide. 

There are several 5-years-old and under vaccine sites throughout the boroughs to make it quick and easy to get young children vaccinated. 

For a full list of COVID-19 vaccination sites, visit the NYC vaccine finder.