“It’s just word of mouth: ‘Here’s a link and
hopefully you get a slot,’” said Mark, who
contracted the virus in March and spent the rest
of the school year teaching remotely. “I know
of a woman who had her husband sit in front
of a computer literally all day and just click the
refresh button until an appointment came up.”
Mark, 34, is now doing some in-person teaching
and is grateful for the added layer of protection.
High school band director Michael Crookston
was among the first teachers to get a
vaccination in Utah, which is among the earliest
states to give priority to educators. Crookston
has been in the classroom since the new school
year began, despite having diabetes, which puts
him at greater risk from the coronavirus.
“It’s been a thing I’ve been looking forward to,
a little bit like Christmas,” said Crookston, who
teaches at Davis High School, north of Salt
Lake City, where he used a parent’s donation
to buy 12 air filters for his band room. Students
also wear face masks and use covers on
their instruments.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has said he wants to
vaccinate all teachers by the end of February.
Salt Lake City has been hit hard by the virus and
was the only district in Utah to stay all-remote
this school year. That has angered some GOP
leaders, who have threatened to deny the city’s
teachers the $1,500 bonuses promised to the
state’s educators.
An estimated 10.3 million Americans have
received their first shot of the vaccine, or about
3% of the U.S. population, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Image: Ashlee Rezin Garcia