Vaccine
Employees in the education sector became eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19 beginning Monday, Feb. 22.
Many Kern County school districts have made arrangements for their own employees to be vaccinated through various partnerships with medical providers. School district employees interested in being vaccinated should contact their school district directly to determine what options may be available to them.
Alternatively, educators may:
• Contact their physician to schedule a vaccination appointment;
• Click HERE for a list of local clinics providing vaccinations;
• Make an appointment for Kern County Public Health’s Mass Vaccination Clinic located at the Kern County Fairgrounds. Appointments may be scheduled exclusively through the state’s My Turn portal at https://myturn.ca.gov/ or by calling call 833-422-4255.
More information can also be found at the Kern County Public Health vaccination page HERE and on the state’s vaccination page HERE.
On Feb. 25, Gov. Newsom released more details today about his plan to set aside 10 percent of the state’s vaccine supply for education workers each week. The program will begin on March 1 and will direct vaccine doses to counties and school communities weighted by equity, including the proportion of students from low-income families, English learners and homeless youth. In turn, education workers will qualify for vaccine prioritization based on occupational health exposure – whether they are currently reporting or will report in person soon.
County Offices of Education will serve as a liaison between the state and schools in their counties to distribute single-use codes so that those who qualify may make an appointment to be vaccinated through Myturn.ca.gov. NOTE: This new program supplements, and does not replace, other vaccinations efforts that are already in place in Kern County.
More information can be found HERE.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Two doses for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, 21 days apart.
- Two doses for the Moderna vaccine, 28 days apart.
Yes. How much protection the COVID-19 vaccines provide under real-life conditions is still unknown. It is important for everyone to continue using all the tools available to us to help stop this pandemic, like:
- Staying home and isolating from others when sick
- Wearing masks
- Washing hands often
- Social distancing
Together, COVID-19 vaccination and recommendations for how to protect yourself and others will offer the best protection from getting and spreading COVID-19. We need to understand more about the protection that COVID-19 vaccines provide before we change recommendations on mask use.
Even with a vaccine you may still be able to spread COVID-19. Even after vaccination, you should stay home as much as possible:
- Isolate if you’re sick
- Wear a mask
- Wash your hands frequently
- Keep your distance from people not in your household
If your body develops an immune response (the goal of vaccination), there is a possibility that you may test positive on antibody tests. Antibody tests indicate that you may have protection against the virus.
It depends. CDC recommends that:
- If you have ever had a severe allergic reaction to any ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine, you should not get that specific vaccine.
- If you have had a severe allergic reaction to other vaccines or injections, you should ask your doctor if you should get a COVID-19 vaccine.
- People with a history of severe allergic reactions not related to vaccines or injections may still get vaccinated.
People may get vaccinated even with a:- History of allergies to oral medications
- Family history of severe allergic reactions
- Milder allergy to vaccines
- If you have a severe allergic reaction after getting the first shot, you should not get the second shot.
Currently, COVID-19 vaccines are not recommended for children:
- Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is for ages sixteen and above
- Moderna vaccine is for ages eighteen and above.
Clinical trials are ongoing to identify a safe vaccine for children.