David Cordero has spent a good deal of his work life lately installing Plexiglas barriers, washing stations and other safety measures at the Santa Rosa school where he works in the maintenance department. On Monday, those safety measures extended to a quick jab into his left deltoid.
“It didn’t hurt. Everything was fine,” he said.
Cordero, who works at Sonoma Country Day School, was one of about 100 people who were given the first of two doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine Monday through an inoculation clinic set up by the Sonoma County Office of Education which targets, among others, school staff and day care providers.
For educators, the focus on vaccinating teachers and school staff marks a significant step toward the reopening of campuses after almost a year of distance learning for the county’s 68,000 transitional kindergarten through 12th grade students.
“Everyone is so excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Jeff Harding, a retired superintendent of Healdsburg Unified School District who has been tapped to oversee SCOE’s vaccination program. “This is a significant step forward to getting all our students back in the classroom and it’s been a long 11 months, and the quicker we can get everyone vaccinated the better.”
As educators lined up for vaccinations, the county passed a second critical milestone Monday: for the fifth consecutive day, the county’s adjusted 7-day case rate per 100,000 residents was below 25, according to public health officials. The state requires counties to meet that threshold for five straight days to return prekindergarten to sixth graders to modified in-person learning.
“We know many parents would like the option return to in-person instruction for their kids,” county public health officer Dr. Sundari Mase said at a press briefing Monday. “We are hopeful we can get there if our case rate remains low.”
In addition to the county meeting the case rate threshold, schools and districts must have their COVID Safety Plans approved by both county and state public health officials. Approximately 15 safety plans are currently being reviewed by county officials, according to Adam Radtke, a deputy county counsel.
While the head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that vaccinations are not required to reopen schools, setting up a dedicated clinic for educators, school staff and day care providers is expected help talks with union officials over how and when to return to campus.
The soft start at the SCOE clinic at Rancho Cotate High School in Rohnert Park Monday is expected to pick up speed Tuesday and into the end of the week, going from 100 doses given Monday to approximately 300 a day by week’s end for a total of 1,100 shots, Harding said.
SCOE officials are pressing for a greater allotment of vaccine in the coming weeks, but the amount is predicated on what is given to the county and how those are then doled out to various providers.
“It’s really dependent on supply and the health department and on whether they get enough to be able to pass it along to us,” Harding said. “We are hopeful.”
But county officials, as they have since the early days of vaccinations, have urged patience. The need in Sonoma County and elsewhere far outpaces the amount of vaccines that have been sent to the county.
“The math is against us,” county vaccine chief Dr. Urmila Shende said at a press briefing Monday. “Everyone is dealing with a short supply of vaccine.”
SCOE is initially targeting school employees 70 and older along with educators of any age who currently have direct contact with students, including teachers, custodians, clerical support staff and meal service workers. Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University instructors who are providing in-person instruction are also eligible.
The second priority group will expand to include all prekindergarten and sixth grade staff — grade levels prioritized in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “Safe Schools for All” campaign to return to in-person instruction.
On Monday Michele Edwards of Santa Rosa felt mostly relief. Edwards had to drop her day care business from eight children to two as clients moved or no longer sent their kids to her home-based operation. Getting the first dose of the vaccine was a step in the right direction for herself and her business.
“I’ve been waiting for this. I’m excited,” Edwards said moments after getting her shot. “I’ll feel freer. We’ll still have to wear masks and still have to be safe … but I can breathe a little bit better knowing the vaccine will hopefully help.”
So too for Cordero. His campus, Sonoma Country Day School, received a waiver from the state to return to in-person instruction back in November. He’s been installing physical safety equipment but the vaccine was something different.
“It’s exciting that we are finally getting the vaccine out,” Cordero said. “They told us to choose the earliest (appointment). It was available, so I came in today.”
Harding said the system is ready to take on more daily appointments — after all, there are 17,200 people in Sonoma County who work in schools or day care.
“I believe that we are going to see an increased supply,” he said. “It was 1,100 this week and next week we hope that number would be much larger.”
You can reach Staff Writer Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @benefield.