With President Joe Biden recently announcing the purchase of two-hundred-million more vaccines, half coming from Moderna and the other from Pfizer, things are looking good. Especially since President Biden was able to arrange for the companies to agree to moving up the delivery dates of the 100 million doses promised by the end of June to the end of May, and the remaining 200 million to be delivered by the end of July.

Many school districts, including TUSD are providing the opportunity for teachers, as well as support staff, to get fully vaccinated. The vaccine distribution plan calls for people ages seventy and older as well as prioritized essential workers to be vaccinated first. Next, those who are sixty-five and older will be eligible to be vaccinated.

“These employees, more than any other employee in our district, have answered that call of being physically present on our campuses and providing direct services to students in our classrooms, in our cafeterias and our buses and in our front offices,” said Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo. “I just think that there is no better way for us to acknowledge that hard work and that sacrifice than moving them to the front of the line.”

Sahuaro choir and piano teacher Ms. Barnes was able to receive her first dose of the Moderna vaccine on February 5th and says of the first twenty-four-hours her arm was radiating with pain. “My arm was very sore, radiating to my neck and down to my hand,” she said. “Being able to receive my first dose gives me the hope of freedom to return to human interaction. Freedom to return to school. Freedom to return to what we are made for, being together and not being afraid.”

After her shot, Ms. Barnes opted to participate in a text check-in, in which every day at the same time, they sent a text that contained a CDC survey link asking about the symptoms/reactions she had experienced each day. “I felt comforted that I was being checked in on, had I had an extreme reaction they would have contacted me. The professionals at Banner Health were wonderful and friendly as they took a lot of the anxiety out of the process.”

Mr. Lane, one of Sahuaro’s Spanish teachers received his first shot of the Moderna vaccine. “My arm was a bit sore for a few days, but that’s about it. It’s good to know that I hopefully won’t contract the virus and that I won’t give the virus to someone else, especially my at-risk parents.”

History teacher Mr. Chandler who received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine said it “felt like I had been punched really hard in the arm, but the pain only lasted for three days…”

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