NEW HAVEN, Conn. — In an effort to vaccinate their educators, New Haven Public Schools started administering doses through at least 15 of their schools on Wednesday.
A Wilbur Cross High School vaccine clinic, which is scheduled to operate four days per week, put over 300 doses in people's arms Wednesday.
Fair Haven Community Health Care, which operates the Wilbur Cross site, expects to ramp up to perhaps 600 Covid vaccine doses per day, mostly to educators as soon as next week.
"We are thrilled to be part of the whole effort to vaccinate schools in New Haven," said Dr. Suzanne Lagarde, CEO of Fair Haven Community Health Care. "It’s part of our mission and it’s what we do."
The Moderna vaccine provided the much-needed shot in the arm Wednesday.
"Well, here’s the thing," said Justin Aiello, a middle school teacher. "I have seventh graders who, it’s March, and I haven’t met them and that’s hard so I absolutely cannot wait to meet the students I’m going to meet."
New Haven middle school students can return to the classroom tomorrow Thursday if they wish. Teachers with students already learning in person say it's so valuable.
"We are doing new things," said Heather Cesare-Anzellotti, a New Haven second grade teacher. "For example, they’re creating their own little games you know 6 feet apart. I’m doing a lot of things too in the classroom so that even from a distance the connection is there."
"I almost get a daily phone call when can my child come back to school," said Luis Menacho, Principal of the Martinez Magnet School. "So, we’re excited. We’re ready and we can’t wait to see them."
Many of these children's families are multigenerational or have comorbidities, so being back in school is scary. But help could be on the way.
"We know that there are some vulnerable people particularly in the community that may be a little bit reluctant and will be able to do some outreach hopefully literally door-to-door type vaccinating," said Dr. Everett Lamm of Fair Haven Community Health Care.
He says their organization will soon receive the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, would be perfect for taking door-to-door since the people targeted for these visits would likely need the vaccine brought to them if they were to take it.