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APS seeks volunteers to help vaccinate
Atlanta Public Schools are searching for volunteers when teachers are added to those eligible for the coronavirus vaccine.
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Public Schools superintendent wants hundreds of volunteers committed to administering shots to employees at a mass vaccination event when they become eligible to receive the vaccine.
Other school leaders said more employees need to respond to a survey, so the Georgia Department of Public Health will have an accurate idea of how many doses will be needed for such an effort.
"We're trying to make this as convenient as possible," said Valencia Hildreth, Atlanta Public Schools' comprehensive health services manager.
The school system said physician's assistants, LPNs, EMTs, paramedics, and some medical students will help provide APS employees a potentially life-saving shot, but the district is still working to determine how many employees want the vaccine yet weeks after a survey intended to determine interest.
To accurately determine who many doses are needed, Atlanta Public Schools' Hildreth said more teachers need to fill out a vaccination survey.
In January, more than 3,700 of at least 6,000 employees responded to that survey.
Of those who responded, 3.4% said they've already taken the vaccine, less than 1% said they had an appointment scheduled, 52.66% said they plan to get the vaccine, 24.3% were unsure of their plans, and 19.09% said they would not get the shot.
The school's health services manager said that information could have changed over the past several weeks.
"For instance, if the survey were to come out months ago, I would have said 'yes,' but now I have the vaccine because I fall into 1A, so now I'd click 'no,' and it's not because I'm not interested, but I'm already protected," she said.
That employee survey has been extended but is expected to close Friday. To volunteer, click here and here.
APS employees have until Friday, February 26 to fill out the vaccination survey.
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