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School Teachers, Staff Report Issues Trying To Schedule COVID-19 Vaccine
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — More than 91,000 school teachers and staff around the state are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. But some educators say they ran into slow and unresponsive system while trying to sign up for the shot.
Teachers reported sign-up issues, including the Kroger portal in Franklin County. Kroger Corporate Affairs Manager Amy McCormick says they’ve partnered with 150 school districts in the county to administer more than 15,000 doses of the vaccine.
“You can only imagine over 15,000 people very eager to receive their vaccine, everyone going into the portal kind of slowed it down, so we’re just asking for their patience. The portal is working,” says McCormick.
The Ohio Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, says it shares the frustrations of educators who have encountered challenges with signing up for the vaccine.
“In conjunction with strict adherence to all CDC guidelines for distancing, masking, and sanitizing, these vaccines are a critical resource for schools across the state to be able to serve students in-person safely. Because district leaders were required to gauge interest in the vaccine and inform the state how many of their employees would likely take it, those responsible for the rollout should have been fully prepared for the high demand. Like the educators we represent, OEA is seeking answers about what went wrong with the initial rollout and what is being done to ensure all educators will be able to receive a vaccine on the timeline promised by the state leaders,” Scott DiMauro, president of the Ohio Education Association, said in a written statement.
Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says every school teacher and staff that wants a vaccine will be able to get it, but when they’re able to get the shot is still up in the air.