Thousands of teachers and school staff around Ohio are getting their first round of the COVID-19 vaccine. Teachers who lined up to be among the first to get the shot say it's about personal responsibility to protect students and the community.
Yvette Hardy teaches art at St. Mary Catholic School in Columbus. As she sits in the Reynoldsburg High School gym waiting to get her COVID-19 vaccine, Hardy says she feels some relief.
"I think it's just about doing your part," Hardy says. "Doing your part for your students, for your community, for the betterment of the learning environment, essentially for everyone, whether that's personal or professional."
More than 91,000 school teachers and staff are eligible for the vaccine in the first week of month-long K-12 group rollout.
The Reynoldsburg location is one of two clinics in Franklin County administering more than 15,000 doses of the vaccine.
Health experts are urging teachers to continue to follow best practices like wearing a mask, keeping their distance, and washing their hands in order to prevent transmission.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said there's evidence to support schools opening back up to in-person instruction as long as these protocols are followed.
Gov. Mike DeWine says schools that have signed up to receive the vaccine have made it their goal to bring kids back to the classroom. Several districts, such as Columbus City Schools and Cincinnati Public Schools, resumed a hybrid learning schedule this week.
