Warwick teachers, staff receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine

"It feels good that we can get back into a little normalcy," said Cathy Bonang. "You can see the light at the end of the tunnel right now."

WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE)-Hundreds of teachers and staff from the Warwick school district rolled up their sleeves and received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Saturday.

Nearly 400 educators filed into the Veterans Memorial Middle School for their first dose of the Pfizer shot.

The school district said they were notified of the vaccine shipment just three days prior to the clinic. The city of Warwick has enough vaccines for all 1200 teachers and school staff in the district to get the vaccine, if they choose.

With help from the city and other local officials, they were able to organize the first clinic Saturday from 1-4 p.m., which filled up almost immediatley.

With some quick help from the city, and the dedication of over 50 volunteers, officials were able to sign teachers up for one of three planned vaccine clinics in March.

The other two clinics will be held March 20th and March 27th, also from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Each clinic will be able to vaccinate 400 educators.

ABC6 spoke with the Assistant to the School District Superintendent, Cathy Bonang, who said Saturday was a day that Warwick educators will never forget.

“It feels good that we can get back into a little normalcy,” said Cathy Bonang. “You can see the light at the end of the tunnel right now.”

All educators who were able to get their first dose on Saturday will come back again in 21 days for their second and final dose.

Each city and town in Rhode Island is handling COVID-19 vaccine appointments differently.

With the exception of Providence, teachers, staff, and childcare workers will be contacted directly, once it’s their turn. Gov. Dan McKee said the goal is for all teachers across Rhode Island to get their first dose of the vaccine by the end of the month.