Yesterday I woke up to a text from a teacher friend that the Oakland Coliseum site was opening for 1b tier appointments. As educators, we are in the 1b tier, which is just opening in California, so I was excited to see that a site was vaccinating teachers. She sent me all the important information, including a special code to use when I registered for an appointment.
When I first went to the site to see if I was eligible, I did not put in the code and the site told me I was not yet eligible. When I tried again with the code, I was allowed to look for an appointment. Of course there were none, so I didn’t have to think about whether or not I should actually try to book an appointment.
I texted my friend back and asked where she had gotten the code. Evidently it was making the rounds in the East Bay, where the vaccination site was. A friend had shared it, then the administration at her school, then it was on Facebook. There was conflicting information about which teachers could access the site. Some sources said only Alameda County teachers, others said anyone within 50 miles of the coliseum. Yet another source said anyone who works in education or child care in Alameda, San Mateo or Santa Clara counties could get vaccinated there, but it wasn’t clear if they had to LIVE in San Mateo County or WORK there. I live in San Francisco County but work in San Mateo County so that mattered for me. (I’m starting to wonder if it’s going to make getting vaccinated harder than it would have been.)
I decided not to use the code, since it wasn’t specifically sent to me, and I didn’t go back to try to book an appointment. I texted back and forth with my friend who very much wanted an appointment. She works in Alameda County, but won’t be going back to the classroom this year (she is a resource teacher who sees a lot of students in different classes so she can’t meet with them in person when they are in small cohorts). The state wants to prioritize teachers who are back in classrooms but I think it realizes it’s too hard to do that so it’s just not trying to. And ultimately we want everyone vaccinated, right?
I keep hearing that argument, that it’s okay if people are crossing state lines or fudging credentials to get vaccinated before there are supposed to, because ultimately we need to vaccinate everyone who is willing to get the shots. I don’t necessarily agree with that argument. If supplies weren’t so limited, and the roll out weren’t so delayed, I might think it made sense, but right now there are not nearly enough vaccines and some people should absolutely get them before others do. I don’t think jumping the line is the right thing to do, but I also don’t see the state or counties doing much to prevent those willing to flaunt eligibility guidelines either. Vaccination sites that are only supposed to serve certain zip codes don’t require proof of residency, and sites that are only supposed to vaccinate people over 65 don’t ask for proof of their age. I understand they don’t want to create barriers to vaccine access, but at some point it feels like they are inviting people to disregard the guidelines altogether, and just jump the line.
And with the disorganized and chaotic rollout, sometimes it’s hard to know when you’re jumping the line and when you’re just being shown where the line is. My friend who sent the code got vaccinated yesterday. The CTA (state-level teachers union) sent teachers in Alameda County a special link and she used it to make an appointment that same morning. She won’t be in the classroom until the fall, so technically she doesn’t need to be vaccinated now, but she was formally “invited.” I’m sure I would have done the same if I were her.
She keeps sending me information about sites in San Francisco where I can show up with my ID and a pay stub (showing I work for a school district) and get vaccinated, but when I try to find any information on these sites providing vaccines there is NOTHING. I’m not sure if the information is bogus or something I’m not supposed to know. I finally had to ask her to stop. I’m not going back to the classroom until mid-March, and that is only if we are back in the red tier, case-numbers wise. Even then it will only be two days a week for about two hours a day. I’m also 40 and in good health. A lot of teachers need to vaccinated before me, so I’m going to wait until the San Mateo County of Ed invites me to be vaccinated. I’m also registered with San Francisco to get updates on when I might be eligible here.
My husband absolutely does not think I should use a code a friend gave me to make an vaccination appointment. He doesn’t think the code was intended for me, since no one from my district, or county shared it with me. He doesn’t think I need to be vaccinated now, and I should wait my turn. We talked about it a lot on Tuesday, and I generally agreed with him. I know other teachers from my district made appointments at the coliseum (HR actually emailed us and told us that teachers from our district made appointments there, but did not share the code that actually allows you to make an appointment); that makes it even harder to not pursue it. “Just because other people do something, doesn’t make it okay to do,” my husband told me a million times yesterday. I don’t think he’s wrong. Still I wondered what he would do if he got the opportunity to be vaccinated before he felt he really should.
To both of our surprise, my husband got a call yesterday from a colleague saying she had vaccination access for him. Evidently 50 people in his department can be vaccinated, but there are more than 50 people so they are… I’m not quite sure what they are doing… Calling their friends in the department to see if they want to get vaccinated? My husband passed on the offer. He said he asked himself how he’d feel if it came out in the papers. Was it wrong for him to get the shot, when he’ll be working from home for the foreseeable, and it was offered by a friend on the phone? The answer, in his mind, was definitely yes, it would be wrong. He couldn’t defend himself to the public if he had to, so he didn’t do it.
My (other) friends think I should get the vaccine using whatever codes is being passed around by educators. They think I need to get it eventually so I might as well get it now. I don’t know, maybe they are right. If I could be certain that there will be doses left when it legitimately is my turn, I wouldn’t even be thinking about this (well, if my friend weren’t texting me all the time I wouldn’t be thinking about this). But I can’t be certain because all I hear from my district (via the county) is that there aren’t nearly enough to vaccinate all the educators, let alone all the food, agricultural, and grocery store workers, along with police and firefighters (also in the 1b tier that is just opening). They are saying it will be months before we can be vaccinated, and middle and high school teachers are their last priority (because the state guidelines say community spread has to be much lower to open classrooms for those age groups).
It’s so hard when the there are so few vaccines and the rollout is so disorganized and chaotic. Sometimes I wonder if by not using the code to get vaccinated now I’m missing my one good chance to get it at all. Nothing about how vaccine roll out has been going gives me faith that I will eventually be vaccinated if I just sit around a wait. I believe waiting is the morally correct choice, but I worry it’s not the prudent choice when the state is doing so little to ensure that vaccine roll out is happening in an ethically responsible way.
So, what would you do if you were offered access to the vaccine that maybe you technically qualified for, but that you couldn’t actually access without some information that was not formally shared with you? Would you use a friend’s tip and make yourself as appointment, knowing that everything else you put in the registration page was true, but that you wouldn’t be offered the vaccine without the code? Or would you wait until you were formally invited? I’d really love to hear your thoughts, because even though I told my friend to stop texting me tips on where I can get vaccinated right now, I’m sure these situations will keep occurring in the months while I wait to be formally invited. I’d really love some unbiased opinions on this, so I can navigate possible opportunities moving forward.
UPDATE: I forgot to mention (and I have now added it above) that the sites my friend says I can show up at with a pay stub are not official vaccinations sites for teachers. There is nothing online about them being available to teachers. And that is the case because… SF has not opened their vaccination sites to teachers yet. Teachers from my district can, and are (I’m on a text chain about it) making appointments because they live in San Mateo County and can do that. I cannot make an appointment there (without that code) because I live in San Francisco. I’m supposed to wait until 2/24 to try to get a vaccination appointment at the site that recently closed because of limited supply and now has an estimated back log of 24,000 appointments. So yeah, it’s all going to go great. Just another reason to love living in San Francisco.
I was happy to see your last post- it’s been such a hard February for all of us.
I am sorry your roll out has been a disaster. I am not in your state or a teacher but I am finding a lot of parallels with your situation! I am in state where the roll out is equally terrible. I am on every email thread and newsletter distribution from my state delegates and county leadership. My county is still in tier 1 A and B but the state is vaccinating everyone who can get an appointment who is eligible through tiers 1A,B and C. So as someone who is eligible in tier 1C I could in theory go to a state run site and get vaccinated there. I have not tried to pursue this yet, in part because I’m working dramatically reduced hours right now because of lack of childcare. Getting vaccinated would definitely make me feel more comfortable utilizing more childcare but if I’m honest with myself it’s probably not going to make that big of a difference until we have in-person school again.
I think I will probably get vaccinated before the general public whether that’s right or wrong but not quite yet. I guess my situation is slightly different because I am definitely eligible at certain sites and would not have to worry about having cut the line, just if it feels ethically right to me. My work has had some doses specifically assigned to us and there’s hope for more, sort of like your husband’s situation, and eventually I would probably take one but I am not going to scramble to grab one of the first ones given my particular situation.
Can you find out what you are actually eligible for? Try your state delegate or getting on a vaccination questions list from your county that spells out the rules for each site.
I know you personally are happy to go back to teaching in person but given the climate in your area you might also want to be a little careful how you talk about this. I definitely would not advertise using a dubious code to get a vaccine. My district is in the middle of a similar situation and people are really upset that teachers are being prioritized but the union is still fighting the reopening plan. It’s not the same exact situation, our case rate is way lower than in CA and meets previously established metrics for re-opening but now they want every single teacher vaccinated (possibly every member of the teachers household) and a rigorous surveillance testing program set up before reopening. But teachers who are supposed to return first under the plan are not being prioritized for vaccination so even though a lot of teachers have been vaccinated, they still are fighting the reopening. I don’t think the union realizes how much good will they have eroded recently – people are PISSED their grandparents can’t get a vaccine but teachers are taking it but refusing to go back. I am hopeful that eventually it will work out, at least for the fall but I would be careful how you talk about this in your life.
Just to be clear, if you can find a site where you are eligible, I think you should go for it! I really hope you are able to get vaccinated before you have to go back to a classroom. I definitely think teachers deserve it more than plenty of office workers who are also eligible
In our district we are going back K-5 on March 1st. We hope to go back 6-8 on March 15th, depending on our counties numbers (we have to be in the red tier). So we are going back before we’re vaccinated. And I’m sure teachers in my district are already vaccinated (I have no idea how they did it, but I’m not really friends with anyone there and I don’t hear rumor-mill stuff much). I was very surprised that our HR sent something out about the Coliseum when they didn’t seem to have any more information than “some of our teachers have made appointments there.” It’s so frustrating that the roll out of this is such a disaster.
Oh I did not realize you guys had an actual plan! That’s exciting, kind of? Are your kids going back too? I hope you get your vaccine soon!
Yes, the first week of February our union reached an agreement that we would return K-5 on March 1st for two mornings a week (in two cohorts of 12-15 kids, so the teachers are there four mornings a week) and 6-8 would return when we’re in the red (as per state guidelines for older students), which they think will happen by March 15th. So I will be with students twice a week for two hours at a time – two separate small groups. I’m really looking forward to it.
You had me until “She keeps sending me information about sites in San Francisco where I can show up with my ID and a pay stub (showing I work for a school district) and get vaccinated.” If you can show up with your pay stub and get a vaccine, then you’re allowed to get one… and I would if I were you. That seems a lot different to me than entering a secret code you weren’t given. (I agree with your husband’s reasoning for not getting one through his office though.)
My state hasn’t opened vaccinations to teachers yet but I keep hearing about teachers that have gotten vaccinated anyway. :-/ OTs, speech therapists, etc. are allowed and somebody figured out that when you sign up through one of the pharmacy systems, you select your category but they don’t ask for any proof… so teachers have been using the category for OTs, speech therapists, etc. I’m such a rule follower that I can’t fathom doing this… but at the same time, I teach in-person four days a week in the neighborhood in my city that has seen the highest covid rates throughout the pandemic… and I’m furious that people I know who work 100% from home and won’t be going anywhere for work anytime soon (but are associated with hospitals) have had two vaccines already and I likely won’t have even one dose until maybe (?) the middle to end of March. Also, my district (largest in the state) is sharply increasing the number of in-person students in about a week, despite the state still not offering vaccines to teachers.
If I had any even slightly fuzzy permission to get a vaccine now, I would. And don’t discount the “maybe going back to school in mid-March….” That is SOON and more and more schools are returning in some capacity, sometimes with little notice.
I should have clarified that she tells me to go to these places but if I try to find info on teachers being vaccinated at these spots there is NOTHING. So that also seems like dubious information if it’s not being generally shared with teachers.
I think this is overthinking. If you are going out in the community for work and your number comes up as permissible to get it, you get it. It’s not just about the value for you, it’s about reducing transmission to other people. The number will come up for others and they may chose not to take it. If you can get it, get it, not just for yourself but for reducing the transmission to others.
Yeah, that is what my friends think.
I wouldn’t do it. In my county we are very low on supply—even lower than other counties are generally—and there are so many elderly and front lines workers who can’t even get it yet. Here 65+ only from hard hit zip codes are eligible. And even they can’t get appts. I feel it’s wrong to jump the line even if you’re in an area with more plentiful supplies (because hey, they should be distributed where needed). I know someone from SoCal in a similar job as mine—we would be 1c that doesn’t even exist anymore—and he got a text like you, and he got the vax. He’s in his 30s! WFM like me! Like, dude. I couldn’t do it even if I was technically eligible and somehow offered, especially since I’m still WFH, when I know many people either older or more vulnerable still haven’t gotten it. And frankly those kind of stories of people sharing codes make mad. All these people jumping the line doesn’t help with the shortage for the vulnerable.
*the only exception would be a scenario like I’m stuck on a highway in the snow and a nurse has some shots that are about to expire—something like that. Then I would take it.
I’ve read about how plentiful vaccinations are in SoCal. I don’t really understand why that is. Maybe because their numbers are so crazy? What I don’t expect to happen is for them to send “extras” up to us. That is just never going to happen. In the meantime, SF seems to be struggling more to vaccinate people than in the surrounding counties. They say it’s because they have so many healthcare providers that they needed to vaccinate in the first wave. But it sucks because this is the second program that is open to Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties and NOT open to SF county, which is sandwiched between them. That makes me really nervous.
I thought vaccines were more plentiful in Southern California but I looked at a la times graphic and la county and the Bay Area counties have vaccinated a similar percentage of the populations so I have no idea! It’s all a mystery to me!
To clarify, I wasn’t intending to imply that vaccines are more plentiful down there in SoCal (I don’t know either way). I was just noting that I happen to know someone down there who got a vaccine when he shouldn’t have. We have an issue in my county where we have a lot of seasonal migrant farm workers (like 40K or something) that maybe aren’t being included in the count of population, and also there’s some issue related to us not having a Kaiser type network of hospitals—most counties our size have something like that and they are getting some of the allotment. Teachers aren’t eligible yet at all here.
If you are eligible through your pay stub, I would get the shot. Remember that this is a two dose regimen so if you are going back in person in March and got your first shot today, depending on whether you got Pfizer (21 days later) or Moderna (28 days later), you still have 12 or so days after the second shot to be considered fully protected. That’s basically a month and a half from today. I agree that I would not have used the sketchy code if it was not meant for me.
I read stories like this one- https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/02/15/long-hauler-covid/?arc404=true and continue to be scared. I’m 12 years older than this woman and I’m in fairly good shape but her life sounds terrible.
I forgot to mention that when I try to find information on the sites where I can evidently bring my pay stub there is NOTHING. I don’t know if these “tips” are bogus or I’m not supposed to know about them. So I don’t look further.
I understand why you are hesitant but since you are going back to school and will theoretically be eligible fairly soon I think you should go for it. Also I think you should feel no qualms about taking it in the county where you are work because you are subject to that county’s rules about reopening.
I’ve heard stories about these teacher access codes. Apparently a bunch of private schools got the access code although I guess that isn’t so outrageous since they are actually teaching in person and public school teachers aren’t.
There were a few hours in LA where the board of supervisors announced the vaccine would be available to seniors in a few days but the website still said only healthcare workers and I know many people (including relatives) who signed up for an appointment a few days out, knowing they would be eligible by then, and just ignored the warnings that it was for healthcare only. A few hours later the website was updated and let seniors sign up. I didn’t have a problem with that because they signed up for a slot at a time on a day when they would be eligible. I feel like you are in a similar position.
I know several people who have gotten the vaccine through weird loopholes. For example, I know three stay at home parents who got the vaccine because they are licensed family therapists. Who don’t see patients. Ever. I know a few people who showed up to pharmacies and got the last doses of the day. I only know one other person in your husband’s position (offered through work through some sketchy means when they worked from home) who said no. Everyone else in the office said yes.
So I think your husband should have said no but I don’t think you are in the same category! You are going to be working in person with middle schoolers! And 40 isn’t 25. I know a 40 year old who is a long hauler. It’s bad.
You are absolutely right that the problem is the vaccine rollout is so chaotic and uneven that it’s hard to know what the rules are and whether what you are doing is against the rules.
In my state and county when non-nursing home ancients were allowed access to vaccination from the county you had to arrive with your current driver’s license or legal equivalent at appointment to prove you lived in county and your age.
Different states (and also counties within states) have established different priorities and inequalities and have very different population compositions with highly varied opinions about the virus and vaccination. It is very hard.
Double mask. Social distance. Wash. Be careful. With or without vaccine those do not change.
You are overthinking this and wasting far too much energy being angry at other people whom you perceive to be selfish. As a teacher, you are eligible, period. Now that 1b is being vaccinated in your area, It is not sketchy to show up with your id and paystub and see if you can get vaccinated. I have no idea what your husband does for a living, so I cannot opine on whether his offer was “fair” or not, but eventually we will all be eligible and since your government has made it clear that they can’t organize this efficiently, I don’t think it’s your (or his) job to do it for them.