PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) -- In what city officials call a step towards reopening schools, a mass vaccination clinic opened up in Philadelphia's Mayfair neighborhood this morning. It was not open to the public, but it was for hundreds of school nurses who were invited to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health set up the clinic at the Lincoln High School gym. Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Caroline Johnson says they invited about 400 to sign up, and staffers and volunteers with the city’s Medical Reserve Corps worked to vaccinate 331 nurses from public, charter, private and religious schools in the city.
Shannon Smith, the nurse coordinator for the School District of Philadelphia, was there in part to set an example for her team.
"I believe in the safety and efficacy of this vaccine, and I wanted to show them, by being the first one in line, that I will take the vaccine. And I feel safe and secure about doing so," Smith said.
Andrea McCoy, the nurse at Stephen Girard Elementary in South Philly, was grateful for the opportunity and hopeful for brighter days.
"I’ve been waiting for this for so long, and I’m happy that we’re finally getting to this point where we can come back to school. We want to bring the children back to the classroom," McCoy said.
"They miss their friends and we miss them," she added.
A lot more needs to be done to get kids back. Health officials say it may take another month or two to have enough doses for all of the city's teachers and school staffers who want the vaccine.
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That’s why the School District of Philadelphia’s medical advisor, Dr. Barbara Klock, says masking, distancing and other measures we’re used to are still needed -- along with vaccinations. Klock got her shot on Friday, as well, and said she felt great.
"It did not feel like anything. I’ve received many vaccinations, and I’ve given many vaccinations, and I did not feel a thing," she said.
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Getting kids back in school is also a goal of President Joe Biden in the fist 100 days of his administration. Vaccines are a big part of that, and getting things back on track overall, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who spoke yesterday from the White House.
"If we get 70% to 85% of the country vaccinated by, let’s say, by the end of the summer, the middle of the summer, I believe by the time we get to the fall we will be approaching a degree of normality," he said.
That's a big "if," though. Roadblocks include people skeptical of getting the shot. And there’s a vaccine supply problem right now. Fauci is hopeful the addition of vaccines from other drugmakers will help with that.