Missouri teachers seek out coronavirus vaccines as eligibility date gets closer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

As vaccine distribution continues across the state, teachers will become eligible for doses in Missouri starting on March 15. Some teachers are trying to get them earlier through the federal pharmacy program.

Educators in Missouri can try to schedule an appointment at certain pharmacies participating in the CDC's Federal Retail Pharmacy Program after the White House asked teachers and staff to be prioritized.

In Mid-Missouri, Hy-Vee is vaccinating PreK-12 teachers, staff and childcare providers are all able to be vaccinated at pharmacy locations. A spokeswoman for the chain of stores said it has seen an increase in the number of educators scheduling appointments.

A Columbia Public Schools teacher and president of The Columbia Missouri National Education Association Kathy Steinhoff said some educators have been scrambling to try to get available doses of the vaccine prior to eligibility next week.

"They are driving distances in order to get those appoints, and I don't know how else to describe it other than I felt like it's a game," Steinhoff said, mentioning other teachers texting her when more appointments open up at Hy-Vee or other locations.

Columbia Public Schools says over the last 8 days, the number of employees vaccinated has started to increase. As of Monday, 837 CPS employees have been vaccinated, which is about 24.2 percent.

A spokesman for the Missouri State Teachers Association Todd Fuller said once teachers became eligible at federal locations, many of its members tried to get appointments. He said some found it difficult to find an appointment because of availability.

"But then there are some of our members that live in other communities around the state that have been able to get a vaccination within a day," Fuller said.

He believes Missouri has fallen behind other states in vaccinating education professionals.

"I don't think it's the responsibility of a education professional or an individual teacher to try to figure out how to get themselves vaccinated," Fuller said. "I wish we wouldn't have found ourselves at this point but here we are."

He said districts and individual educators and staff are working hard to get plans in place for vaccinations.

"But they need to be given support all along the way, and I hope that on the state level we are doing that, that they are supporting the districts so they can make sure all education professionals are getting vaccinated."

A spokeswoman for Governor Mike Parson, Kelli Jones said teachers along with others will be able to get the vaccine on March 15. She said she's aware of a few events, but it's ultimately up to local leaders to decide if events should be targeted at certain groups.

Missouri has had a plan since October. The plan has successfully been implemented. We have to remember the supply as not caught up with the demand. It's important to vaccinate the most vulnerable Missouri citizens as quickly as possible.

Kelli Jones, Office of Gov. Mike Parson

Cole County school leaders are preparing for a vaccination event on March 19 for all educators in the area. The vaccine is made available through one of the national guard mass vaccination events.

Jefferson City Public Schools said some of its educators that have fallen into the state's eligible tiers have been vaccinated. A spokeswoman for the district, Ryan Burns said despite how long it took for the state to move into the next phase

"Of course we would have loved for our teachers to be first in that line, but we are incredibly thankful and blessed that in a short amount of days we'll have access for our teachers," Burns said.

The superintendent of the Blair Oaks Jim Jones said about 10 or 15 of the district's 197 employees have gotten the vaccine. He said 94 have registered for the event.

He believes the state has made the right moves in deciding the tiers of vaccinations, saying the state been vaccinating the most at-risk populations.

"It's not an easy process to go an prioritize one group over the other," Jones said. "It's our turn, and I want to make sure that I respect all of the people that have come before me."

You can watch the full story on ABC17 News at 9 and 10.