An estimated 68 health workers and elderly employees in the public school system received COVID-19 vaccinations, and new cases declined slightly last week in Indian River County schools.
The vaccinations were administered Saturday to School District employees 65 and older, as well as school nurses and health aides at the Gifford Health Center in concert with the state Health Department and Treasure Coast Community Health.
TCCH will coordinate the second round of shots in early March, School District spokesman Cristen Maddux said.
Altogether, 122 School District employees were eligible for the shots, but 22 declined the opportunity. Another 15 employees indicated they had already been vaccinated, 16 did not respond and one apparently missed an appointment.
“It has been identified that a key measure to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within our brick-and-mortar educational settings would be to offer the opportunity for vaccination to our educators against the COVID-19 virus,” said Schools Superintendent David Moore.
District officials will continue to advocate for educators to have greater priority for COVID-19 vaccines because they come into close contact with many student and other employees each day, Moore said.
“It is our ultimate goal to offer all SDIRC employees the opportunity to receive a vaccine,” Moore said Friday.
Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases declined slightly in the county’s public schools in the past week after increasing steadily in the weeks following the winter break.
A total of 25 students tested positive for COVID-19 between Feb. 1 and Feb. 7, district records show. That’s a 17 percent decline compared to the previous week when 30 students tested positive for the virus.
Another 139 students were quarantined between Feb. 1 and Feb. 7, a decline of more than 36 percent compared to the previous week when 219 were quarantined.
The number of school employees diagnosed with COVID-19 declined to 3 between Feb. 1 and Feb. 7, compared to 8 the previous week. Another 5 employees were quarantined.
Overall, a total of 185 students and 50 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 since the school year started Aug. 24, while 1,702 students have been quarantined, district records show.
Another 67 students, 5 staff members and 11 unknown people have tested positive for the virus in seven charter schools in Indian River County this school year, according to state records.
In addition, 51 students, 8 staff members and 7 unknown people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in seven private schools in the county.