Maureen Dyer

A group of PV teachers receiving the first round of the Moderns COVID vaccine.

PV teachers have received the first round of COVID-19 vaccines and are due to get the second round starting Mar. 5. Concerns about when teachers will be ready to teach again rise due to increased severity of symptoms of the second round of the Moderna vaccine.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been around for about a year now, and vaccines are finally being distributed. Teachers are among the first citizens to receive these vaccines. 

One of the vaccines that is being distributed is the Moderna vaccine, which comes in 2 rounds. The vaccine is produced from the mRNA of the COVID-19 microbe and has proved to be very successful with evidence from clinical trials showing that the vaccine is 94.1% effective.

Many of the PV teachers have received the first shot of the Moderna vaccine and are going to be getting the second shot starting Mar. 5. One concern about the second round of the Moderna vaccine is that the symptoms associated with the last shot are worse and can include fever, chills, as well as other side effects. 

Biology teacher Brant Clausen explained how he will try to counter the worsened symptoms. “Just getting extra rest leading up to it. Drink plenty of fluids,” Clausen said. He believes that being a healthy adult and taking care of his body will reduce the symptoms associated with the second round of Moderna. 

These side effects may be worse, but only last for a short period of time. “Others get mild to moderate illness that lasts 24-48 hours,” Darren Erickson, PV highschool principal, stated. The side effects are worse for the second round of Moderna, but the side effects should fade in two days giving teachers a couple days to recover.

The scheduling for receiving the second round of vaccines works out well for PV teachers. “Our staff ‘days’ for the 2nd vaccination are Friday and Saturday, so luckily we have a 48-72 hour window before staff has to return to work” Erickson said.  

Getting teachers vaccinated is just one step in the journey to reducing the total number of COVID cases. “As of this morning 2/25/21, KWQC reported 3.5% of our population is vaccinated. When this number gets into the 75% and higher, I think we will see a drastic reduction in the total number of cases” Erickson stated.