About half of the teachers at St. Theresa School in Ashburn have
appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the next few days, said school
nurse Ioanna Sanborn. From what she’s heard, everyone is excited to experience
a quick pinch of pain for the protection the vaccine provides against a virus
that has upended their lives. Many more Catholic school teachers are right
behind them.
For the past several weeks, Virginia has been distributing
vaccines beginning with those most vulnerable to exposure and those who have a
higher risk of dying from the virus. Health care workers and residents of
long-term care facilities were the first priority. Now, Virginia is in Phase
1b, and many more are eligible to receive the vaccine, including people 65 and
older, first responders, the homeless, prison inmates and teachers.
Vaccines are being distributed by county, and the Loudoun
Department of Health has been slow to get teachers vaccinated, said Sanborn.
But with help from the diocese, interested St. Theresa teachers will be
vaccinated at Inova Fairfax Hospital soon. At St. Mark School in Vienna,
located in Fairfax County, more than half of the school’s teachers already have
been vaccinated at Inova, said school nurse Erin Philippart. “And if they
haven’t gotten it yet, they’re getting it this week,” she said.
“Everyone’s very excited,” said Philippart. “There were some
nerves. Even I had some nerves, but I think we have to be part of the solution
and lead by example. (Teachers) want this to end. I think we’re blessed we were
able to get it so quickly.”
Overall, the St. Mark teachers were pleased with the vaccination
experience, said Philippart. “If you are in the 1b group, there’s a spot where
you check that box and sign up online for an appointment,” said Philippart, who
as a nurse was able to get the Moderna vaccine Jan. 5 and was scheduled to get
her second dose in a few days. “(Teachers have) said when they go for their appointment,
they don’t wait more than 15 minutes. They’re in and out.”
However in Philippart’s experience, firm details about how fully
vaccinated people should act remains elusive. “I went asking some questions
that folks had here, like if you were fully vaccinated and you came into
contact with someone who had COVID, do you need to quarantine for 14 days?” she
said. “I must’ve asked five people and they were all like, ‘That’s a really
good question.’ Nobody knew the answer because we don’t have the information
yet.”
Both Sanborn and Philippart believe that even if most of their
school staff gets vaccinated, many of the prevention protocols will remain in
place until the end of the school year. “I think we’re going to have to take
the same protocols we’ve been taking for a while until we figure out if this is
working,” said Philippart. “Until the numbers go down and people aren’t getting
as sick, things don’t change.”
