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Wake teachers move to front of class after officials cull vaccine waiting list

About 400 teachers, school personnel and child care workers got their first coronavirus vaccination shots in Wake County on Wednesday, the first day that educators were eligible in the state.

Posted Updated

By
Adam Owens
, WRAL anchor/reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — About 400 teachers, school personnel and child care workers got their first coronavirus vaccination shots in Wake County on Wednesday, the first day that educators were eligible in the state.

“I was surprised I got picked so quickly," said Jennifer Hyatt, an elementary school teaching assistant. "I feel like I can take a breath, you know, a sigh of relief, because it has been a long year."

Just days ago, it appeared educators would have to wait a while behind tens of thousands of health care workers and people age 65 or older who had already signed up for vaccinations. But after Wake County officials reviewed the list and removed those who had signed up numerous times and others who had already gotten shots elsewhere, only 100 or so names remained, allowing teachers to get right in line.

About 12,500 educators have already registered for shots in Wake County, and some 3,000 of them have appointments scheduled, officials said. People were prioritized based on ZIP code, with those in the areas with the highest viral transmission rates given first crack at vaccination, officials said.

“I think we are really turning a corner in terms of our ability to keep up with the flow of people who need it,” said Matt Calabria, chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners.

County spokeswoman Stacy Beard said 133,661 people have received shots to date, including nearly half of the county's seniors.

“We are going to be able to move through educators very quickly and make sure they get vaccinated so that they can get back to the classroom and feel more comfortable when they are there," Calabria said.

Tawana Francis, a preschool teacher, said she is protecting her 3-year-old students and their families by getting vaccinated.

“I feel like I am doing my part to get back to some kind of normalcy,” Francis said.

She has already contracted coronavirus, and she said she doesn't want to risk getting sick again.

“When you are a certain age and you have underlying conditions, because I am a diabetic, every day I was hoping and praying that I am OK because, when you hear about the numbers still being spiked, it worries you,” she said.

Keith Sutton, chairman of the Wake County Board of Education, said it will take some time to vaccinate as many of the school district's 11,000 teachers and 9,000 other school workers who want to get the shots.

"It is going to take a while, and that is primarily due to the size of Wake County and the supply," Sutton said.

As for Hyatt, her mother is 85 years old, and the pandemic has kept them apart.

"I will be able to see my mom soon," she said. “I will be more relaxed when I see her. That will be great.”

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