There’s a light at the end of the tunnel for Kentucky teachers eager to get their students back to the classroom. According to Governor Andy Beshear, Kentucky is currently ahead of its original timeline for vaccinating teachers.
“This means on something as important as vaccines, we’re actually meeting deadlines,” Beshear said in his Thursday briefing, “and maybe even getting them partially done before we thought we would be able to start them.” Beshear had initially estimated that teachers could begin receiving their COVID-19 vaccines around the first week of February, though districts across the state have already begun administering their first doses. As reported by the Courier-Journal, it now looks as though the state is on track to finish K-12 vaccinations by early February.
Kentucky’s largest school district, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), intends to use Louisville’s Broadbent Arena as a drive-thru vaccination site for district employees. The timeline for when JCPS employees can expect to receive their vaccines depends on when the district will receive its shipment from Moderna, but the process should take roughly 45 minutes per staff member.
Meanwhile, in Lexington, the University of Kentucky will begin vaccinating employees for Fayette County Public Schools (FCPS) in Kroger Field next week. Individuals who would like to request a COVID-19 vaccine may do so with this request form through the university.
According to a briefing from Gov. Beshear earlier this week, it is possible that as many as 70% of K-12 employees statewide have signed up to receive their COVID-19 vaccines, revealing a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Widespread vaccination has been hailed as a gamechanger for curbing the spread of the coronavirus and allowing schools to reopen for in-person learning. With this good news, perhaps the real question is “when,” not “if.”