Teachers and staff get the Coronavirus vaccine at Morton East High School.

When the world submerged into a global pandemic, every day became the same as the last. It is easy to say that the past year has been one for the books. However, life finally started making layaway when the world offered us subtle hope. According to nbcchicago.com, it was in the early days of January that the Illinois state was making great progress in distributing COVID vaccines throughout the Chicago land area. Five hundred eighty-seven thousand and nine hundred doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were delivered to the state, meaning that Illinois had officially entered Phase 1a. This plan to move forward focused on the vaccination of frontline medical workers, along with first responders, postal and public transit employees, correction workers, incarcerated people, and manufacturing, distribution, and agricultural workers. Over time, however, teachers became recognized as essential workers and first became eligible for the vaccine on January 25, 2021, according to wbez.org. With hundreds of thousands of teachers in the Illinois area, vaccines have been distributed to local health clinics statewide.

Interestingly, Morton East High School became the designated state vaccination site for Cook County since Morton East is the only district in the region with a health clinic funded by the town. According to wgntv.com, Governor Pritzker visited the Morton East site with EMT-trained National Guard members administering COVID vaccinations to 100 teachers, staff, and seniors a day. All other individuals wanting to receive the vaccine are required to schedule an appointment with the Morton East health clinic through the town’s website. The vaccination process at Morton East High School is coming along steady but surely, and in a recent poll taken by 36 Morton East teachers and staff members, most of them have already received some part of the Coronavirus vaccine. 21 members have received their first dose, 9 members have obtained both of the doses, and 6 members have not received any dosage at all.

“Yes, I have received my first dose of the COVID vaccine, the Morton Clinic uses the Pfizer vaccine so that takes two doses. The Morton East facility is the only county health clinic because the office that we have in the building is employed by the town and not the Morton district. Meaning that Morton East was the obvious choice for the official Cook County vaccination site. The public was open to make appointments for their vaccine through the town’s website since Illinois entered Phase 1b, however, as of right now, appointments have been unavailable due to a shortage of shots. The only appointments open for the taking are the visits to get the second dose of the vaccine. What’s funny is that recently the clinic’s staff have acquired a new routine where after receiving the first dose of the vaccine you have to sit in an observation area for fifteen minutes to check for bad reactions to the dosage, and during that time the medical staff sets you up for your next appointment to get the second dose. That wasn’t available during the first few days,” Superintendent Dr. Timothy Truesdale said.

The process of setting up the Morton East vaccination site has been a journey on its own. Cook County has worked with administration diligently and they were able to set up an efficient vaccination routine to set the clinic up for both the public and the Morton Staff. Morton employees were given the opportunity to receive this medication but their treatment methods took a different approach.

“As for teacher vaccinations, Morton staff was being diagnosed through extra vaccines whether that be from a lucky extra substance or through cancelled appointments. The district had compiled a list of all employees, ordered from oldest to youngest, considering highest risk factor. All employees, everybody in District 201, were offered to sign up for the vaccine but teachers did take priority. I think it’s important to note, however, that there are SO many roles needed to keep the school running. You know we have food service staff, security, maintenance and so much more. Teachers are essential and a priority, however, making sure we get the other working staff is a crucial point we have to acknowledge because without them, the school could not function,” Superintendent Dr. Timothy Truesdale said.

Just like rotating gears in a clock, a functioning school building takes an entire team effort. Teachers and students are a big portion of a school, but the people who keep the facility running provide more than just services. We do have to give credit where credit is due and recognize the extra hard work all staff members have put into their normal routine during this pandemic because without them, none of this would have been possible.

“In full honesty, the credit has to go to the school nurses because they have pitched in a lot. This entire process would not have gone nearly as smoothly without their help. They have always worked really well with the county’s nurses and it has not been any different now. Qualified National Guard members are the ones that administer the vaccine to the patients and overall, the process of having an on-site vaccination center has been really organized, super nice, and a beautiful team effort,” Superintendent Dr. Timothy Truesdale said.

Running and operating a fully functional vaccination site is no easy task. Working together is a vital aspect for efforts to run smoothly and successfully and the Morton East nurses have truly surpassed their limits, giving it their all to ensure the safety of this town. However, no matter how resourceful, it takes more than a few busy bees to create a beautiful honeycomb. In dire situations, calling for backup is the most reasonable answer and that is exactly why the state of Illinois is reaching out.

“In fact, Illinois is attempting to expand the National Guard medical team so more members are coming in order to increase the number of dose distributions because so far, they have been giving about 100 doses a day and while that’s great, Morton is always trying to do our part to further along the process. The school board has provided whatever we needed and we are trying our best to cooperate with the town because it is important that we do our part during this time. All in all, I help where I can but the people who are doing the real work are in the clinic,” Superintendent Dr. Timothy Truesdale said.

During these times of exigency and this unforgettable year, uniting as one is essentially critical to survival. Whether it be small or big, overt or covert, everyone has a part to play in the progression of the Coronavirus pandemic. The development of the vaccine has essentially created a checkpoint for the time being and various citizens, and Morton staff, have mixed reactions to its dissemination.

“Yes, I received the first dose of the vaccination at the Morton Clinic. The main reason I did this was to better protect my family, as I have a newborn daughter and a father-in-law who is at risk for complications. I was happy when I heard about this because receiving the vaccine at school is extremely convenient because if I had to go elsewhere, my students would fall behind in their learning. The clinic provided a sign up link for interested staff members. Any staff members who chose to fill out the link was contacted by the clinic when it was their time to receive the vaccination,” math teacher Matthew Horvath said.

Some Morton East teachers quickly decided to seize the opportunity to receive the Coronavirus vaccine. One way or another, teachers and staff members managed to secure an appointment at the Morton East Cook County Clinic. However, seen as a rarity, both the Pfizer and the Moderna versions of the shot are still only available to essential workers and elderly residents as the county makes its way down a long list of eager and awaiting patients.

“I have not received the COVID vaccine because I feel that other people need it more than me. Nonetheless, after hearing that Morton East was offering this opportunity to its teachers and staff members, I felt happy that everyone working here would get an opportunity to get the vaccine without having to travel for giving them a peace of mind,” Spanish teacher Emma Juárez said.

Certain teachers did decline the offer presented by the school and as stated before, there was a routine set for teachers and staff to coordinate their visit. Nothing was obligatory. Nevertheless, this opportunity still bestowed a grand privilege to many people involved.

“Yes, I have had both doses. I have a lot of friends who teach at other schools, and Morton seem to be the only school that has this opportunity for its teachers. First shot: hardly felt it. Second shot: my arm was pretty sore for a day—but that’s it. I was ecstatic when I heard about the Morton East Cook County Clinic vaccine connection. I actually got called down early during night school about a month ago for my fist shot because they had some left over shots. It was totally unexpected—probably my second happiest day of this year. My first was when I got the second shot. As far as the process, for me it was surprising to see that the shots were administered by the National Guard. The clinic checks you into the computer database and verifies your identity and then passes you off to the military for the procedure,” journalism teacher Kent Frankfother said.

Numerous steps were taken throughout this entire process to ensure a grand and secure visit to the Morton Clinic, and it was a procedure that was not available to many. Those who received the vaccinations were grateful for the opportunity and were excited to be part of the movement. The action being taken by administration and Cook County overall, is and will be making a gargantuan difference for the future to come. The nation continues to suffer from this global pandemic and it is our responsibility to help it move forward one-step at a time.

“It’s definitely a good idea! We have to start the process of getting students back in class and I think the first step is to get the teachers vaccinated, a major safety precaution for the dangers that is the coronavirus,” Morton parent Marisela Gonzalez said.