‘Just a little bit safer’: 600 Beaufort County teachers, school staff vaccinated
About 20% of Beaufort County School District’s 3,000 employees got their first shot of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine Thursday — and with more pop-up clinics and appointment spaces opening this week, that percentage will increase.
About 400 district teachers, staff and contract employees were vaccinated at Battery Creek High School, and about 200 were vaccinated at Hilton Head Hospital, spokesperson Candace Bruder said Thursday.
The pop-up clinics were announced Wednesday and organized by Beaufort Memorial Hospital and Hilton Head Hospital “based on their current supply of vaccines,” according to a Wednesday morning email to staff.
The appointment slots for both clinics were filled within four hours of the email, and additional teachers showed up to see if slots were available, Bruder said.
While attending Thursday’s clinic at Battery Creek High School, Beaufort County School District Superintendent Frank Rodriguez said a similar event would happen next week on a school campus south of the Broad River. The location hasn’t been finalized.
District staff also have access to reserved vaccination timeslots in Port Royal and Okatie, which were announced last week. Those shots begin Monday, with new appointment slots opened every day, according to a Beaufort Memorial Hospital announcement.
“It means a lot to teachers,” Rodriguez said. “Some are very concerned about safety, and others are less concerned but still want to be vaccinated. ... We want teachers to feel as safe and comfortable as possible.”
The district has seen significant interest in vaccines. In a recent survey, more than 1,700 district employees said they wanted to get vaccinated against COVID-19 — that’s about 57% of the total workforce, and 77% of those who responded to the survey.
Russell Baxley, CEO of Beaufort Memorial Hospital, said Thursday he’s seen 4,000 signups for vaccine appointments in Phase 1b so far. The hospital is not scheduling appointments more than a week in advance due to limited vaccine supply, he said.
The district saw a spike of COVID-19 cases and quarantines following winter break, when students returned to full-time, in-person classes for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. At one point, more than 1,600 district students and staff were quarantining.
However, active COVID cases and quarantines have decreased significantly since January.
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Ryan Copeland, media specialist at Battery Creek High, was among those vaccinated Thursday. He said the whole process, including the wait time to see if he had any reaction to the vaccination, took less than 15 minutes.
While Copeland has stopped letting students check out physical books and begun monitoring in-person students with virtual teachers during the pandemic, he said he feels “blessed” that he’s remained in-person for the entire school year.
“Learning is still occurring,” he said. “It looks different, and it might always look a little different now, but I’m really proud of the way teachers and administrators adapted so quickly.”
Sarah Hayes, athletic director at Battery Creek High, agreed. Every aspect of high school sports, from admissions to concessions to practices, has changed, she said.
“Success for us this year was not necessarily wins and losses,” she said. “It was finishing our seasons.”
Hayes was also vaccinated Thursday. She’s looking forward to seeing her grandparents, who are in their eighties, for the first time since March 2020.
At school, she’s excited for more peace of mind at athletic events as the school starts its spring sports season.
“In my position, I do have people coming around from all over,” Hayes said. “Charleston, Columbia — you never know who’s going to show up at your games. So that security of knowing that things are just a little bit safer now — I have some protection now.”