APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Fox Cities COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic (FCCVC) is beginning to vaccinate area K-12 teachers and staff.
“This is just very exciting,” said Carrie Paine is a teacher at Wisconsin Connections Academy in Appleton, “We had a choice if we wanted to get our shot or not and of course I jumped to come and get my shot.”
“I was so excited to get Johnson and Johnson one time we’re done,” said Paine.
“We have faculty coming in from Seymore, Appleton, Menasha, Xavier, Fox Valley Lutheran and 18 other provial schools in the area,” said Appleton Public Health Officer, Kurt Eggebrecht.
Eggebrecht says the Fox Cities COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic used the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for the first time Saturday.
“We plan to do about 77 people every 15 minutes,” said Eggebrecht.
Eggebrecht says the day is for all area faculty who want the vaccine.
“So after today it takes about 2 weeks to develop that full immunity but we’re excited,” said Eggebrecht, “Imagine the students that they teach and the families that the students go home to.”
For educators, like Tom and Wendy Guentenberg, getting the vaccine was not just for them.
“It means our safety, it means our students can feel safer in the way that’s most effective for students.”
Pain adds, “A streamline of health for all of our students and teachers is very important because any time or moment that you’re taking away from outside the classroom or education itself is detrimental.”
The Guentenbergs say their co-workers opted in for a shot too and they were just as grateful,
“Yeah I saw four in there already, quite a few staff members were in there too.”
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced back in January that education and child care staff would be eligible to receive a vaccine starting March 1, 2021.
Education and child care staff are among the group of eligible Wisconsinites 65 years and older and certain types of essential workers.
The teachers and staff have to be pre-registered through their school administration.
Walk-in’s at FCCVC are not allowed and asks all recipients to have an appointment through a link received by their school’s administration.
To sign up for the FCCVC click here.
