2,400 Prince William Schools Workers To Get Weekend Vaccinations

MANASSAS, VA – A total of 2,400 Prince William County Public School employees are scheduled to receive the coronavirus vaccine this weekend, according to a schedule presented at the division’s school board meeting Wednesday night.

In a presentation made to the board during Wednesday's meeting, Board Chairman Babur Lateef said that the employees will participate in the mass vaccination clinic Saturday and Sunday when 1,200 vaccinations will be administered each day.

According to information presented during the meeting, Novant Health UVA Health will provide the doses of the vaccines after Gov. Ralph Northam announced Wednesday that more doses of the vaccines will be made available to hospitals across the state.

Vaccinations of teachers and other public school employees who are considered essential workers under the governor’s vaccination distribution plan were scheduled to take place earlier. But after several hospitals and local health systems – including Inova Fairfax Hospital – reported a shortage of the vaccines, the administration of doses was forced to be pushed back, school officials said.

Last weekend, nearly 800 Prince William County school employees were vaccinated at Novant UVA Hospital with 384 and 375 people receiving a shot Saturday and Sunday, respectively. This weekend’s doses will be administered at Unity Reed High School where the vaccinations will be administered mostly by school nurses, according to published reports.

The Prince William Times reported on Thursday that nearly 11,000 teachers and staff from the division were scheduled to be vaccinated this week at Inova Fairfax Hospital later this week. According to the report, local officials have been working to get more school employees vaccinated at local hospitals as about 7,000 teachers and staff are currently working in school buildings.

Younger students from within the Prince William division have been learning on hybrid model and older students may be able join them next month if approved by the school board, according to reports. However, one Prince William Public School building ­­– Charles J. Colgan, Sr. High School – was recently added to the state health department’s coronavirus outbreak list following at least two confirmed cases of the coronavirus within the school community, division officials confirmed this week.

According to the division’s vaccination schedule, more staff members are scheduled to receive doses of the vaccines throughout February.