More than 2,000 teachers and other educators in the city of St. Louis are getting COVID vaccinations this week through a coordinated effort between St. Louis Public Schools, the Army National Guard and the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis.
The four-day mass vaccination event at Vashon High School began Monday, March 15 by appointment and takes place every day this week except for Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The teachers are getting the single dose Janssen COVID vaccine by Johnson & Johnson. Walmart also has provided additional vaccine support for SLPS staff.
SLPS Superintendent Dr. Kelvin Adams, said the District has also extended an invitation to area educators from charter, private and parochial schools.
“Gaining access to the COVID-19 vaccine has been a top priority for our District,” Adams said. “Now, through our partnerships with the Urban League and the Army National Guard, we are pleased to be able to offer this measure of protection for our staff and the greater community of educators in the interest of increasing the safety of all staff and students.”
The state opened up the vaccine schedule on March 15 to allow teachers, food workers and those in utilities, technology and energy to receive the vaccine, although thousands from higher tiers are still waiting for their vaccine. Worse yet, some people are getting excited about being notified that they are eligible, only to find out they have to drive hours to receive it. Demoris Buford received such a notice from the Missouri COVID-19 Vaccine Navigator (MOStopsCovid.com) this week. “I live in the STL region. The places I can go get my shot over the weekend is in…West Plains MO, St. Joseph MO, Springfield MO.,” Buford posted on social media. “This is jacked up especially since there is a mass vaccination event literally two miles from my home this Saturday…RIDICULOUS!”
In St. Louis County at the Florissant Valley campus of St. Louis Community College, the St. Louis County Dept. of Public Health will begin vaccinating school personnel on March 23 and March 24.
“We all want students and educators safely back in their classrooms, County Executive Dr. Sam Page said in the announcement. “In-person learning is the ideal setting and our children need to be in a place where they can socialize, develop interpersonal skills and share life experiences with their friends.”
As many as 2,000 school employees could receive vaccinations on those two days, with the support of the Missouri National Guard. Several thousand employees of schools throughout St. Louis County – public, private and parochial – have pre-registered, and next week’s event will be the first in a series of vaccination opportunities the Health Department plans to conduct for school personnel in the coming weeks.
Last week, working with the Mehlville Fire District and the Office of Emergency Management, the County health dept. began delivering vaccines to homebound residents and their caregivers. Fire districts throughout the county are to be involved in that rollout. Find out more at stlcorona.com. To see if you qualify, call 314-615-2660 or email dphcovidvaccine@stlouisco.com.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued its first set of guidelines on how people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can interact safely with others. A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving the last required dose of vaccine. The CDC says persons who are fully vaccinated can: visit other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or staying six feet apart; visit unvaccinated people from one other household indoors without wearing masks or staying six feet apart if everyone in the other household is at low risk for severe disease. Fully vaccinated people do not have to quarantine and take a COVID test if they are asymptomatic after being exposed to someone who has COVID-19. Find out more at CDC.gov.
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 and the toll is heartbreaking. On March 16 this year, the number of global coronavirus cases from the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 passed 120,530,037 and 2,665,925 deaths. In the United States, 29542,308 cases and 536,639 deaths. In Missouri, 572,074 cases and 8,694 deaths; in St. Louis, 90,641 cases and 2,062 deaths.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, marked the one-year pandemic milestone. “In one year, we have lost over 520,000 Americans to COVID-19. These are grandparents, parents, and children. They are siblings, friends, and neighbors,” Walensky said. “While we accumulate more evidence to support the safe return to everyday activities, please continue taking precautions in public and when around people who are at high risk for severe COVID-19 disease. Whether you are already vaccinated or not yet vaccinated, wear a well-fitted mask, practice physical distancing, wash your hands often, avoid medium and large gatherings, and avoid travel. We know these measures work to prevent the spread of this virus and help protect each other.”