The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Middletown teacher: Staff shots should be staggered by age
MIDDLETOWN — A 61-yearold kindergarten teacher is thrilled to be getting her COVID-19 vaccination this week, but she had hoped the schedule would follow the governor’s age group guidelines among those who just became eligible.
Wesley Elementary School instructor Judy David, a 26year teacher there, is upset older teachers weren’t prioritized. “It should have been done — not to be mean or selfish — age-wise. They should be the first to go. I don’t get it,” she said. “I’m so excited I’m going to have my turn, but I’m disappointed the way it’s being rolled out.”
When teachers, as well as individuals ages 55 to 64 were added Monday to those eligible for COVID-19 immunization, it made 600,000 more people in Connecticut able to get the vaccine.
Teachers, support staff and bus drivers at four elementary schools will be vaccinated Wednesday and Friday at the high school, according to Marco Gaylord, director of school operations and communications. There will be another clinic next week for those working at
both middle schools, the high school and in adult education, he said.
“We’re going to do what it takes to make sure teachers and staff at the elementary level are vaccinated,” he said.
Public school students in prekindergarten through fifth grade will return to school buildings four days per week beginning March 15. Older children will remain in the hybrid model for the time being.
“My main thing is being safe, for me, my kids and my family and not bringing it home,” David said.
David has a second job at the Recreation and Community Services Department after her school duties end for the day, so she will be pressed for time Friday, she said, and worried about having to wait for her vaccination that day.
She’s most concerned about her 93-year-old mother who lives next door, whom she hasn’t been able to visit. Her 70-year-old sister, who got her first dose of the vaccine last week and also resides with their mother, managed to the mother registered for a second dose, David said.
David’s sister has been adamant about her not coming over because David is exposed to children, she said. David and her husband get tested frequently, she said.
Middletown High School history and social studies teacher Kathy Adams, 64, the Middletown Federation of Teachers union vice president, said while older students observe all COVID protocols while they’re in school, she’s seen many outside class hanging out with one another, and hears others talk about trips they’ve taken.
If teachers have family members at home who may be older or immunocompromised, Adams said, “we can’t use that as an excuse to stay home. We have to be there.”
Adams is eager to be vaccinated. “I’ll feel a wash of relief over me. It
means I can walk in there with confidence, and I can go other places, too. I don’t have to live so circumscribed a life.”
Janice Pawlak, 51, president of the teachers union, said teachers have been very anxious to be inoculated. The vaccine will provide an extra layer of protection for those working with young people. “Even if they get COVID, it’s not going to be as bad when [students] go back,” she said.
Those in the 16 to 34 age group will be eligible beginning May 3, according to the state. Clinical trials are underway for the younger population.
The Community Health Center, which is offering shots at the Vine Street mass clinic as well as the smaller one on Grand Street, opened up several hundred more appointments to assist the 55-andolder
cohort, according to Vice President of Communications Leslie Giannelli, who said Monday afternoon that slots were filling up fast.
Middlesex Health is experiencing the same thing, said Director of Communications Amanda Falcone.
“From the day we opened our vaccine clinic, the demand for the vaccine has significantly exceeded the supply,” she said. As more doses arrive each week, staff are adding appointments, but these are taken very quickly, she said.
As more become eligible, Falcone said, she expects increased demand. “We will do our best to help as many people as possible based on the number of vaccine doses we receive from the state,” she said.
Cases have dramatically decreased in Middletown in the past
week, according to Acting Health Director Kevin Elak, who said the case rate per 100,000 now is better than most municipalities with comparable populations. He presented his weekly report to Middletown officials Sunday.
Weekly vaccination clinics are being conducted in Cromwell, Durham, and Middlefield for those 65 and older, as part of Middletown’s regional health district effort. City of Middletown employees 55 and older will be getting their vaccines during a dedicated clinic to be set up shortly, Elak said.
The department anticipates soon receiving doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which require a single dose.
For information, visit portal.ct.gov, MiddlesexHealth.org/Vaccine, chc1.com or middletownct.gov.