Vaccine distribution begins

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Several McLean teachers appointments delayed due to the limited vaccines

BELEN BALLARD ONLINE FEATURES EDITOR | GIANNA RUSSO COPY EDITOR

After months of staying at home, taking precautions and anticipating the COVID-19 vaccine, FCPS teachers are finally being offered the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. While some teachers had no problem scheduling their first and second doses, others were met with frustration over canceled appointments and unclear information that delayed their first shots.

As a result of overestimating the amount of available vaccines, numerous first dose appointments for FCPS teachers and others in group 1b were canceled on Jan. 26 in order to ensure everyone would be able to receive their second dose. According to The Washington Post, this postponement affected around 15,000 FCPS employees who had been patiently waiting to get their shots.

“Our teachers need to be all vaccinated as soon as possible. I honestly think that the county is handling it as well as they can given the circumstances,” English teacher Seth LeBlanc said. “There is only so much that they can do when the numbers they were promised proved to be pretty inaccurate. As more doses become available, the county [hopefully] will continue prioritizing teacher vaccinations.”

FCPS sent a survey to employees to provide the health department with a list of names of people who would need to receive their first vaccine by Feb. 3 in order to be prepared to return to school buildings.

“We continue to work with the Fairfax County Health Department and Inova Health System to offer COVID-19 vaccine to staff,” Superintendent Scott Brabrand said in a community message on Feb. 3. “To date, 90% of FCPS staff have signed up or scheduled appointments to receive the first dose of the vaccine.”

But before teachers’ vaccinations were halted, several McLean teachers were able to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 11.

“I got a text from my wife saying, ‘I just got a link for us to go get vaccinated tomorrow,’ and it just came out of nowhere. It felt really good,” math teacher Steven Walker said.

In Virginia, K-12 teachers were classified as essential workers, allowing them to be vaccinated in group 1b. According to Reston Now, 131,479 people in Fairfax County have received the first dose of the vaccine and 31,421 people have been fully vaccinated as of Feb. 10. Statewide, 64,381 Virginians have been fully vaccinated and 458,472 have received their first dose.

The Virginia Department of Health launched a statewide vaccine pre-registration system for the COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 16. Virginia residents can register at vaccinate.virginia.gov to be notified when it’s their turn to schedule a vaccine appointment, but the Fairfax County Health Department has opted to keep using its own registration system for now instead of the statewide one.

Since a vaccine has not yet been approved for anyone under the age of 16, very few students will be able to receive it this school year. FCPS will be relying on its mitigation strategies to keep students safe: proper mask use; social distancing; hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette; cleaning and disinfection; and contact tracing.

In an email on Jan. 26, Brabrand said, “The five key mitigation strategies continue to be vitally important in supporting a safe inperson learning environment for all, both those with and without vaccinations.”

I GOT A TEXT FROM MY WIFE SAYING, ‘I JUST GOT A LINK FOR US TO GO GET VACCINATED TOMORROW,’ AND IT JUST CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. IT FELT REALLY GOOD.”

- STEVEN WALKER MATH TEACHER

WAITING ROOM — McLean math teacher Steven Walker and his wife, Megan Walker, an assessment coach at Luther Jackson Middle School, received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Jan. 11. Superintendent Scott Brabrand said 90% of FCPS teachers had signed up for the vaccine as of Jan. 25.