Piedmont teachers began receiving COVID-19 vaccines after educators became eligible for the vaccine locally, many receiving their first shot during February break. At least 31 states, including California, made some or all educators eligible to receive the vaccine as of Wednesday, Feb. 24, according to an article by Education Week.
Culinary arts teacher and director of nutrition M’Lisa Kelley said that she received her first shot on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
“Several of us teachers were refreshing and refreshing the site, [myturn.ca.gov], the day that they approved educators [to receive the vaccine],” Kelley said.
My Turn allows California residents to determine if they are eligible for the vaccine. If they qualify, they can schedule an appointment, and if they do not yet qualify, they can request to be notified when they are, according to the My Turn website.
Computer science teacher Jana Branisa, who also received her COVID vaccine on Feb. 16, said she received hers at the Oakland Coliseum.
“It is a 30 to 45 minute process [and is] very well organized, very well staffed, and quick,” Branisa said.
After being asked a few questions, Kelley received the shot in her left shoulder, which did not hurt much, she said.
“Then, we had to wait about twenty minutes to look for side effects,” Kelley said. “I felt just fine afterwards and drove home.”
Branisa said she felt some soreness in her arm for two days but that it felt similar to getting any other vaccine.
“I feel more protected,” Branisa said. “I am feeling more confident and much more comfortable [now that I have the vaccine].”
Wellness Center Clinical Supervisor and Training Director Alisa Crovetti said that she feels relieved after receiving two doses of the vaccine.
“I feel relaxed, but I am not acting relaxed,” Crovetti said. “I still have the same behaviors. I am still wearing a mask, I am still socially distancing, but inside, [getting the vaccine] really made a huge difference.”
321 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been administered across 118 countries as of March 10, according to the Bloomberg COVID vaccine tracker. In the US, 95.7 million doses have been given with an average of 2.17 million doses given per day.
Branisa said that although she was very enthusiastic about getting the vaccine, she has some friends who feel differently.
“Some people are [saying], ‘Aren’t you afraid that being vaccinated is a risk?’” she said. “I am comfortable with that risk [because] I believe in the scientific process and I believe in data.”
In a poll released on Wednesday, Jan. 27, less than half of American adults surveyed indicated that they were either already vaccinated or would get the COVID vaccine as soon as possible, according to an article by Kaiser Health News. 31% said they would wait to see how the vaccine works, 7% said they would get vaccinated only if it became required, and 13% said they definitely would not get vaccinated.
“Here in America, we are very good about advocating for our rights,” Branisa said. “We are not as good about accepting responsibility.”
Branisa said that she has a 92 year old aunt that she has been unable to see in a long time due to the pandemic.
“I feel that [getting the vaccine] is my responsibility as a citizen to not only protect myself, but also protect the people around me and the person that I care most about right now, which is my aunt,” she said.
The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which are the only two vaccines authorized for emergency use in the US, require two doses because they create a relatively weak immune response with only one dose, according to an article by Healthline and a radio segment from NPR.
Crovetti said that during the wildfire season, she registered as a Disaster Healthcare Volunteer to support those in impacted areas. Although she was never deployed, she was contacted again in January to register as a COVID vaccine volunteer.
“I asked if the county would accept non-healthcare volunteers, and I learned they would,” Crovetti said.
Crovetti said she then decided to let other PHS staff and teachers know about the opportunity to volunteer.
“I wanted people to know that if they volunteered, they could get a vaccine, so I sent out that information to staff,” she said.
Both Branisa and Kelley said they received their second vaccination on Tuesday, March 9. Kelley said that she feels that by getting the vaccine, she is doing the best thing for students, her family, and her community.
“It’s the right thing to do for us to all get back in school, but to also be really safe,” Kelley said. “And I feel that the more that we can get our teachers, support staff, and [students] vaccinated, the more we can get back to our lives [where] we can hug people and be together in close proximity.”
