The City of Revere and its Board of Health, in partnership,with the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, administered doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Revere school employees during a six-hour clinic Friday at the Rumney Marsh Academy.
The Moderna vaccine is one of three (Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson are the others) that came about as the result of President Donald J. Trump’s Operation Warp Speed initiative that is hailed universally as “a medical miracle†for its accelerated development of the vaccines that are being administered to millions of people nationwide.
Dr. Dianne Kelly, superintendent of Revere schools, said all school employees were invited to the vaccination clinic. A total of 540 school employees received vaccinations.
“It is a really exciting day for the Revere Schools,†said Kelly. “It happens to be the anniversary of the last time out kids were in classrooms for in-person instruction. This has been a tough year for everyone and we are thrilled to be able to add this layer of protection for our staff.â€
After stopping in at the clinic, Mayor Brian Arrigo posted on Facebook an upbeat, heartful video message that he had recorded from inside his vehicle in the front parking area at Rumney Marsh. “It’s been exactly a year that we shut down schools to in-person learning,†said Arrigo. “Here I am now a year later coming out of a vaccination where many residents and teachers are getting vaccinated and I really do think the light at the end of the tunnel is finally here. And watching our vaccinations happen and seeing the faces and seeing all the folks that I haven’t seen in a while, and to see them in person was really special.â€
Interestingly, two Whelan School third-grade teachers and Revere High girls basketball coaches, Matt Willis and Melissa Moore-Randall, received their vaccination shots on the day of their team’s season opener. Willis received his vaccination after the game while Moore-Randall received her shot two hours before the game. Revere Director of Athletics Frank Shea didn’t miss a beat in his administration of Revere High’s basketball doubleheader as he traveled over to Rumney Marsh in between games to receive his vaccination.
“I just think for every teacher, it’s [the vaccination shot) a wonderful thing to hopefully get our kids back safely into the schools,†said Willis. “I can’t say enough good things about Revere schools and the city of Revere in general and how they’ve gotten us into sports and they’re getting the students back – they waited and made sure they’re doing it the right way.â€
Moore-Randall, whose daughter (Dani Hope Randall) is a student in the Revere school district, received her first of what will be two Moderna vaccine doses. She was impressed by the excellent organization of the vaccine clinic.
“They had it down to like a science – the setup was great,†lauded Moore-Randall. “You walked in. You checked in. You went over to your nurse and she asked you all the medical questions. Your nurse administered the shot and then you had to sit and wait 15 minutes to make sure you had no side effects.â€
Moore-Randall is looking forward to the return of students to her classroom.
“I think my colleagues and my daughter’s teachers have done an amazing job with the remote learning,†said Moore-Randall. “But it doesn’t replace in-person learning. So the kids need to be back in the classroom with their teachers, even if it’s in a hybrid model. It’s been a year so it’s going to be a tough transition getting the students back into the classroom, but I think that’s the best place for them.
“I feel the School Department has done a tremendous job preparing all of the schools for a safe return to in-person learning,†concluded Moore-Randall.
