A second round of the Moderna vaccine went into 405 arms Friday morning at Morgantown High School.
That means 405 teachers and other employees in Mon County Schools will soon have a better than 94% protection rate against the coronavirus after the two-week waiting period for full effectiveness.
Which translates to that much relief for Susan Haslebacher, who supervises school health services for the district.
“Every time we can do this, we’re that much closer to eradicating COVID-19,” she said.
Friday’s recipients were mainly in the 50-year age range, she said, with a smattering of 40-year-olds who had gotten the jump when the first round was administered last month.
The second round means Toni Malinovich can start physically calling on her parents, who are both in their 80s.
“Finally,” the Ridgedale Elementary kindergarten teacher said after receiving the first shot last month.
“We can finally start moving ahead with our families.”
It didn’t take long to move ahead with the Moderna doses Friday, Haslebacher said.
Recipient No. 1 rolled up his sleeve at 8 a.m., and the 405th rolled his sleeve down at noon, she said.
The district again partnered with Pierpont Landing Pharmacy/Key Pharmacy and Wellness for the collective shot in the arm.
Haslebacher thanked the Key Pharmacy and her team of nurses of the work.
“It was smooth and efficient,” she said.
And, just one COVID skirmish in a time when there’s one right after the other.
A handful of cases in Mon Schools have put more than 250 people – students, mostly – in quarantine as part of the contact tracing.
Like a plodding monster in an old drive-in movie, the pandemic continues to claim lives across West Virginia.
To date, 2,100 Mountain State residents have succumbed to the coronavirus and its complications.
A 24-year-old Berkeley County man is among the youngest of the most recent victims, Gov. Jim Justice announced during his press briefing Friday.
And now, health-watchers are worried about the Super Bowl this weekend – and whether a surge will follow, since this is another iconic, American event where masking and social-distancing definitely aren’t part of the proceedings.
Add that to the newer, more virulent strains appearing across the globe, they said,
In the meantime, Haslebacher said, more Mon Schools employees will get more shots next Friday.
More than 300 doses will be administered then to those 50 and older, she said.
The next vaccination clinic after that will be Feb. 26 for those in the 40-year range and any in the set of 50-somethings yet to receive a shot.
*This story has been updated from a previous report that didn’t full information on the vaccination’s immunity timeline, due to a reporter’s error.
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