On February 6, 2021, two-hundred Jeffco teachers got the COVID-19 vaccination, after a vaccination event in the National Western Complex ended with 200 COVID-19 vaccines left over. 

As Colorado reaches stage 1B.2 in the vaccination plan, which prioritizes teachers, people are rushing to get the vaccine. When Jeffco Schools sent out an e-mail on the afternoon of Saturday, February 6th about an early vaccination event at the National Western Complex, chaos ensued. 

“I saw the highway entanglement. In the building, I saw a lot of people parking, and I entered through a back door into the Denver Coliseum.” Tiffany Briggs, Dakota Ridge High School learning specialist, said. 

In the aftermath of this event, many were outraged at the disorganization. Jeffco Public Schools sent an e-mail to staff members that stated, “While we are happy that some of our staff were able to receive their vaccines early, we also apologize to you and our partners at SCL Health for any inconvenience, frustration, and the resulting traffic jams near National Western that we caused by broadcasting the opportunity to our entire staff.”

Vaccinating teachers is a step in the right direction for schools to fully reopen and bring life back to normal. According to the CDC, all COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the US are at least 94% effective and make it much less likely that someone will be seriously ill from COVID-19. 

“I feel tremendously more comfortable going back to school even after the first shot,” Briggs said. 

This seems to ring true for most teachers — getting the COVID-19 vaccination helps them feel more comfortable being back in the classroom. A new guideline set by the CDC states that people who have been vaccinated will no longer have to quarantine when they have contact with the virus after their second dose. The new guideline will allow schools to stay open, all while keeping teachers and students safe. 

Until it is your turn to get the vaccine, make sure to continue frequent hand washing, social distancing, and wearing a mask. The CDC even suggests double masking with a disposable mask against the face and a cloth mask on top to create a tighter fit, then knotting masks to get rid of any gaps between the fabric and the face. 

The more teachers that get an opportunity to be vaccinated for COVID-19, the closer we get to going back to a more normal life.