Majority Of Utah Teachers Getting COVID-19 Vaccine
Mar 1, 2021, 8:55 PM | Updated: 8:57 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah teachers have overwhelmingly opted to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and many are relieved to have it as they teach in-person classes.
“I guess it feels like we’ve made it around the bend, or at least, we’re starting to,” said Lane Findlay, community relations specialist for Weber School District.
The state moved teachers up on the priority list earlier in the year, and since then, districts have been holding vaccine clinics for teachers and staff members.
KSL contacted the state’s largest school districts to find where they stand on vaccinating teachers:
- Alpine: 75%
- Granite: 68%
- Jordan: 63% (most have already had their second doses)
- Canyons: 73%
- Weber: 56% (includes all staff members)
- Davis: The district has not tracked how many employees were vaccinated but they sent out 11,000 invitations to teachers and staff members)
The vaccine clinics have gone smoothly, for the most part. In Weber County, leaders called in substitutes to cover teacher absences after the second vaccine doses. They had adequate coverage.
Many teacher clinics took part on Fridays so they would have the weekend to recover if needed.
Findlay said with the vaccines and the state’s “Test to Stay” program, they are hopeful schools will not need to go online for the remainder of the year.
“If we can maintain where we’re at now, we’ll make it through the rest of the school year,” he said. “So there’s optimism.”
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How do I prevent it?
The CDC has some simple recommendations, most of which are the same for preventing other respiratory illnesses or the flu:
- Avoid close contact with people who may be sick
- Avoid touching your face
- Stay home when you are sick
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating, and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. Always wash your hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
- If soap and water is not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies), especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
