ARCHBALD, Pa. — Teachers and other school staff are getting the Johnson & Johnson single shot at intermediate units across our area.
"Everyone has left this building smiling, happy, a lot of hugs in the parking lot. It really appears to be a great sense of relief among the educators," said Kevin Williams, NEIU 19 director of operations.
The NEIU in Archbald is one of 28 intermediate units across the state that was transformed into a vaccination clinic for educators.
The director here says not only will every eligible educator who wants a shot here get one, but there will also be a few hundred left over. Those doses will be given to other providers.
By the end of the day on Tuesday, once the clinic is complete, more than 2,000 shots will have been given out.
But many senior citizens and those with health conditions are still having trouble getting an appointment, so not everyone was happy when the state announced that teachers would be first in line to receive the Johnson & Johnson shot.
"The frustration with appearing to have teachers move to the front of the line, I think it's obvious that there will be more doses available for everyone else. So the Moderna, the Pfizer vaccine, they're still available; it's my understanding that that supply chain is becoming much more robust. And I also know that there are additional J&J vaccines coming down the pipe. So for folks that are frustrated and feel like they've been left behind, I think all we need to say there is just a little bit of patience and I think we're going to have everyone else able to get a vaccine shortly," said Bob McTiernan, NEIU 19 executive director.
McTiernan says he's open to keeping the clinic up and running once eligibility is expanded.