If 90,000 teachers and other San Diego County school employees were notified that they were eligible for COVID-19 vaccination, why did only 23,000 people sign up to receive their shots?
This is the question that education officials are asked and the answers are not easy to pinpoint.
The Volunteer Employee Benefits Association, or VEBA, is the agency responsible for making sure that everyone in the education sector who wants a coronavirus vaccine gets one. A couple of weeks ago, VEBA notified education employees who were taking K-12 courses that they could enroll in, but the response has been lukewarm, at best.
“We know for sure that people went to their medical providers,” said Laura Josh of VEBA, who added that educators also went to local pharmacies to get their vaccines. “So when you look at the number of VEBA vaccines, these are the people who have gone through our actual portal, but we don’t have visibility or consolidated reports for people who have gone through channels.”
Martha Garcia, who teaches a transitional kindergarten at Las Palmas Elementary School in National City, told NBC7 that she went to a local clinic after learning she could choose which vaccine she wanted while going at a place designated by VEBA, you should get the vaccine they offer.
Garcia said she and her husband wanted the Modern vaccine, so they did not register through the VEBA site.
Garcia said teachers are “prepared and willing” to get the vaccine and questioned whether the figures released by VEBA were a true reflection of how many teachers were vaccinated.
“There is no precise way to track whether a K-12 education worker has been vaccinated at another provider,” said Bob Mueller, who is in charge of managing the Office of COVID-19 response. San Diego County Education.
Mueller said some educators may not want the vaccine, but his main concern is making sure all education workers who want it can get it.
San Diego County has reserved thousands of doses for educators, but if vaccines are not used, a county representative said, they will be redistributed to those who meet the requirements.