CLARK COUNTY, Ind. — DonnaMarie Burden, an art teacher in Clark County, Ind., stayed up through the night when COVID-19 vaccines became available to teachers in the state. She assumed the process would be streamlined for teachers only, but said she quickly realized the appointments she was going for were being snatched up before she could get one.
“I have health issues. I’ve got a history of hospitalizations for pancreatic issues, autoimmune disease, and a neurological disorder...so I’ve been really itching for the vaccine to drop like a lot of people have," she said.
This week, Indiana announced all state vaccine clinics will open to teachers and school staff on Monday. Before, they had to rely solely on the Federal Pharmacy Program. Burden hopes the change makes the process easier for teachers trying to get their vaccines.
“We’ve been teaching full time since August, so we’ve been really fortunate to be with our students," she said. "I want to have that confidence to not live in fear anymore coming to work."
Burden said she hopes the process will be easier for signing up in the future. She worries about other teachers with health conditions who might have trouble using the system.
“You can see the first dose sitting there but there aren’t any second doses available. So the frustration was like, just let me have that first dose! I can see it! I told my husband it was like concert tickets back in the day; you’d wait and wait trying to get them and then all of the sudden they’re gone," she said.
Burden said she’s sharing her story in hopes that the system might be improved, so teachers or any special group getting the vaccine can worry less about scheduling an appointment, and more about doing their jobs.
“I think this would really give us a punch of confidence going forward to be able to continue to do our jobs and do it well,” she said.
Burden was eventually able to get her appointment. She said she’s excited to see the state working to make the process easier for others.
Contact reporter Daniel Sechtin at dsechtin@whas11.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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