The start of school is upon us, and with it families can expect all the forms, permission slips, and doctor appointments required for safe participation in the activities children love.
Harris Teeter is making back-to-school prep easier by offering vaccinations at all their pharmacies with no appointment necessary. This is a guaranteed way to check an item off the list that seems to grow every year for parents and guardians in their busy days helping their school-bound children be their healthiest.
“At Harris Teeter, we’re committed to helping families navigate the busy back-to-school season,” said Danna Robinson, director of Harris Teeter corporate affairs and customer relations. “As your trusted neighborhood market and pharmacy, our pharmacists are here to provide the same exceptional service you’ve come to expect from Harris Teeter, offering expert guidance and personalized vaccination recommendations.”
The store offers a wide range of immunizations, often with no wait. Many insurance companies cover the entire cost, as well.
Below is a breakdown by age group of the generally recommended vaccinations for Maryland.
Ages 4 to 6 (before kindergarten):
- Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTP)
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
- Polio
- Hepatitis B
- Flu (annually)
- COVID-19 (annually)
Elementary & Middle School:
- Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (DTP)
- Meningitis
- HPV
- Hepatitis B
- Flu (annually)
- COVID-19 (annually)
Junior High & High School:
- Meningitis
- Hepatitis B
- Meningococcal conjugate (2nd dose at age 16)
- Serogroup B Meningococcal (ages 16–18)
- HPV (only if not already received)
- Flu (annually)
- COVID-19 (annually)
Harris Teeter has 18 pharmacies across 17 cities in Maryland. While people stock up on school supplies and lunchbox staples, they can fortify their children with protection from childhood illness all in the same trip.
With an increase in the number of families choosing not to vaccinate their children, medically vulnerable people are at an even greater risk of infection from diseases that could impact them more severely. According to Maryland Matters, families can easily get religious exemptions to opt their kindergartners out of vaccine requirements, and in 2024, about 1.7% of the state’s 63,000 kindergartners had those exemptions.
A medical exemption requires a physician to write a statement that the vaccine would be harmful to the student. Invoking a religious exemption simply requires a parental signature on a form that says, “Because of my bona fide religious beliefs and practices, I object to any vaccine(s) being given to my child.”
Maryland continues to be a state with high vaccination rates, with all of the state’s counties hitting the 95% rate of vaccination against measles, which is what’s required for herd immunity against that disease.
