Vaccines and School: What to Know
Given by Madison County website.
February 3, 2021
There are currently several vaccines worldwide, though not all are activated to be distributed in the United States. Ohio’s current vaccines available to the public are Moderna and Pfizer/Biotech. Most notable other vaccines around the world are China’s CoronaVac, Sinovac, and Sinopharm, as well as Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.
All states in the U.S. have different distributing plans in terms of vaccines. Ohio is currently in phase 1B of their plan. (Information on both phases.)
Phase 1B includes all those mentioned in 1A, and adds Ohioans to the availability list every week. The week of February 1 adds employees of k-12 schools returning to in-person or hybrid models.
Even though a group might become eligible for a vaccination, the given dates are for the earliest they’d be able to receive the vaccine.
There is a limited number of vaccines available, so do not expect to immediately be able to get the vaccine. The allocations can change rapidly in terms of time, so authorities ask for flexibility.
The vaccine is not mandatory, and every individual can choose whether they want it or not.
At Reynoldsburg High School, staff are already receiving vaccinations. Chris Downing, a health and physical education teacher there, received his first dose of the vaccine in Reynoldsburg.
Downing said that the process was ‘quick and painless’ in an interview with The Columbus Dispatch (article).
The superintendent of the school, who also got the vaccination, said, “I’m glad [staff of Reynoldsburg High School] could do our part to help make this pandemic go away.”
Those eligible for a vaccine must pre-register (form here). The vaccine clinics are distributing vaccines on a first come, first serve.
According to Madison County’s official website, under “Getting the Vaccine & Process,” masks are required at all vaccination clinics, as well as IDs and a printed pre-registration forms. At this time, Madison County Public Health is not charging Madison county residents or their insurance for the vaccine.
In Madison county, there are currently two vaccination locations: Kroger Pharmacy and Molly Caren Agriculture Center, both of which are located in London, OH. This website lists all current vaccine distributing locations in OH: https://vaccine.coronavirus.ohio.gov/.
Due to the fact that vaccines are limited, Madison County (Madison Schools COVID19 Vaccine Planning) has allocated the vaccines for each week depending on which group of Phase B they are on. School staff are to not get vaccines from Kroger Pharmacy or Molly Caren Agriculture Center.
Alder staff has been slotted for week 4 of distribution (K-12 Staff Vaccination).
Currently, people 16 and up can receive Pfizer/Biotech vaccine, and people 18 and up can receive Moderna. Both Pfizier and Moderna require two shots for full dosage, and have time between the two. Pfizer requires 21 days apart between shots, and Moderna 28 days.
After receiving a vaccination, masks and social distancing are still mandatory. One can still become infected after 1 dosage of the vaccine(s) before getting both shots.
