Megan Broome/The Clayton Tribune. Cheryl Crouse, RN at Mountain Lakes Medical Center, administers a Moderna vaccine to Patricia Vaughn, teacher for Wildcat virtual academy at the high school, at last Friday’s vaccine clinic held in the Rabun County Schools Fine Arts Building.
TIGER-- Employees in the Rabun County school system received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine at a vaccine clinic held by Mountain Lakes Medical Center (MLMC) at the Rabun County Schools Fine Arts Building last Friday.
Gov. Brian Kemp announced that teachers, school staff and certain other vulnerable groups were eligible for the vaccine beginning March 8.
Currently, any Georgia resident age 55 and older is eligible to receive the vaccine.
Approximately 64 employees received the vaccine at the clinic, according to Rachel Cowart, chief nursing officer at Mountain Lakes Medical Center.
“We were anxiously awaiting the arrival of vaccines for school staff and we are thankful for our partnership with Mountain Lakes Hospital,” said Superintendent April Childers Tuesday. “They were able to quickly schedule a day for us and come to the school campus to provide the vaccines on-site.”
Cowart said that she’s thankful to Childers and the Rabun County school system for allowing the partnership. She thanked all the faculty and staff for their help in the process.
“We’re hoping this is the beginning of the end for COVID here,” Cowart said. She said that MLMC will be back after spring break to administer the second doses.
“We haven’t had any major vaccine reactions,” Cowart said about all the vaccines that the hospital has administered thus far.
She said that she loves helping members of the community receive the vaccine to combat the virus.
Cowart noted that the Rabun County Health Department is currently accepting appointments for those eligible to receive the vaccine.
“We are all ready to move past the pandemic and the vaccines are a step in the right direction,” Childers said. “In the meantime, we ask that parents keep their children home when they have COVID symptoms and while they are awaiting test results. Our COVID plans are still in place and to keep quarantines to a minimum, we need everyone to continue to do their part.”