Wichita schools start COVID-19 vaccinations Saturday; older workers get first dibs
The Wichita school district has gotten its first supply of the COVID-19 vaccine and will begin vaccinating employees on Saturday, officials said.
In keeping with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly’s prioritization plans for vaccinations, the first school employees to get the shots will be those 65 and older and those with underlying medical conditions, said Terri Moses, director of safety and environmental services..
Those groups get priority in the governor’s plan because they’re particularly susceptible to major complications or death if they catch the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
USD 259’s shots will be administered by district health personnel through a clinic set up at the school district headquarters, spokeswoman Susan Arensman said in a written statement.
Employees who will be vaccinated Saturday were pre-selected and have been contacted by the district health staff to set up their appointments, Moses said.
“Our nurses sent out a survey two, three weeks ago that went to all our employees asking (them) to provide information, first of all whether they wanted vaccinations, and then if they fell into the category of being older or if they had a medical condition,” Moses said. “Then the nurses, along with some health care providers look at those medical conditions and make decisions about what fit the parameters.”
The shots will be the first that are earmarked specifically for school employees in Sedgwick County since the vaccines were approved for public distribution in December.
Moses said she did not know how many doses the school district is receiving through Sedgwick County.
All district employees are eligible for vaccination and will be taken in order as vaccine becomes available, Moses said.
“We’ll work our way (through) older, health conditions, medical conditions of course.,” she said. “Then the next step for us is people who work specifically with students. And then we’ll move to sort of our general population.”
This story was originally published February 13, 2021 at 6:01 AM.
