[ad_1]
Raleigh, North Carolina – About 400 teachers, school staff and educators received their first coronavirus vaccine in Wake County on Wednesday, the first day educators were eligible in the state.
“I was surprised I was chosen so quickly,” said Jennifer Hyatt, an elementary school assistant. “I feel like I can breathe, you know, a sigh of relief, because it’s been a long year.”
Just days ago, it looked like educators would have to wait awhile behind tens of thousands of healthcare workers and people aged 65 and over who had already signed up for vaccinations. But after Wake County officials reviewed the list and removed those who had repeatedly signed up and others who had already been vaccinated elsewhere, only a hundred names remained, allowing teachers to stand in line.
About 12,500 educators have already signed up for photos in Wake County, and about 3,000 of them have appointments scheduled, officials said.
“I think we’re really taking a step forward in our ability to keep up with the flow of people who need it,” said Matt Calabria, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. “We’re going to be able to go through the educators very quickly and make sure they get their shots so they can go back to class and feel more comfortable when they’re there.”
Tawana Francis, a preschool teacher, said she was protecting her 3-year-old students and their families by getting vaccinated.
“I feel like I’m doing my part to get back to some sort of normalcy,” Francis said.
She has already contracted coronavirus and said she didn’t want to risk getting sick again.
“When you are a certain age and you have underlying conditions, because I have diabetes, every day I hoped and prayed that I was fine because when you hear that the numbers are still increasing , that worries you, ”she said.
Keith Sutton, president of the Wake County School Board, said it would take some time to vaccinate as many as 11,000 teachers and 9,000 other school district employees who want to be vaccinated.
“It’s going to take a while, and that’s mainly due to the size of Wake County and the supply,” Sutton said.
As for Hyatt, his mother is 85 and the pandemic has separated them.
“I will be able to see my mother soon,” she said. “I’ll be more relaxed when I see her. That will be great.”
[ad_2]
Source link