Iredell County Teachers To Receive Vaccines At Feb. 24 Event

IREDELL COUNTY, NC — More than 1,000 teachers and school employees will have the opportunity to get their first dose of coronavirus vaccine Wednesday at a drive-thru vaccination event in Statesville, Iredell-Statesville Schools announced.

This week, teachers in Iredell County and throughout the state will become eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. Gov. Roy Cooper recently announced that North Carolina K-12 and childcare teachers will be prioritized at the front of the line in the state's upcoming expansion of vaccine eligibility to frontline essential workers. Educators and school personnel will be eligible to receive the vaccine Feb. 24, with additional frontline essential workers added to the eligibility list on March 10.

“We are thrilled to partner with Iredell Health System to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to over 1,000 of our employees on Wednesday,” Dr. Boen Nutting, Director of Communications and Development for the school district said in a statement. “While our district is proud of the fact that we’ve worked hard to get students back into classrooms as quickly as possible, the safety of our teachers and employees is also at the forefront of our minds. We are fortunate to live in a community where our Health Department, along with Iredell Health System, has made vaccinating educators a top priority.

"We’re ready to get our shots, and get back to the business of educating students," Nutting said.

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More than two dozen school district nurses will administer the vaccines during the Feb. 24 event at Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville, ISS said. The event is open to teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, support staff, as well as substitute teachers.

ISS reported that at least 1,300 school district employees have said they want to receive the vaccine, but said it was not mandatory.

Karen Kerley, who is the lead nurse for the school district, said she has been looking forward to this day. “We are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Kerley said. "Wednesday the 24th will be a celebration day for Iredell-Statesville Schools.”

Any educator who is not able to receive a shot during the Feb. 24 event will be scheduled shortly afterwards, ISS said.