A pop-up clinic at Nyack High School had students rolling up their sleeves for the COVID vaccine Wednesday.

Montefiore Nyack Hospital partnered with the school and supplied the vaccines for the more than 160 students. School officials say that hospital staff extended their hours Wednesday because there was such an overwhelmingly positive response to the vaccination pop-up site. 

Nyack schools tell News 12 there is about half of the middle school and half of the high school that’ was on the schedule.

It’s all part of the effort to get kids vaccinated after regulators cleared Pfizer’s vaccine for 12 to 15 year-olds.

And so far, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. has vaccinated more than a half million kids (600,000) in that age group in less than a week..

In total, the CDC says over 4 million kids aged 12 to 17 have been vaccinated so far

Pfizer has said that studies show its vaccine proves 100% effective in kids aged 12-15. 

Vaccinating young teens and kids will bring the U.S. closer to getting to that 70-85% mark of the entire population getting vaccinated. Experts say that is what is needed to achieve herd immunity.

End of the school year activities and ceremonies for this age group are also quickly approaching. That's why Nyack schools says it wants to ensure eligible middle and high school students are given the option to get vaccinated, just in time for graduation, prom and other activities.

"We have about 50% of our seniors now that have already been vaccinated. We hope to have all of them vaccinated by the time we're done with this pop-up clinic and other opportunities in the area," says Nyack High School Principal Nicole Saieva.

Ceremonies for Nyack fifth graders, eighth graders and the senior class are slated for the week of June 14 and the following week with limited capacity. 

Those in the graduating class of 2020 can certainly testify to how different grad ceremonies were during an unprecedented year.

That’s why the Nyack district says it wants to ensure eligible middle and high school students are given the option to get vaccinated just in time for graduation.

The school district says vaccinations are strictly voluntary. 

Students 12 and up will not have to pay to get the shot, they just need bring signed parental consent.

The pop-up clinic took place in the gym of Nyack High School. The first round of vaccines began for high school students at 9 a.m. followed by middle school students who got  bussed over to the high school.