COVID claims 13 Miami-Dade school employees since mid-August

By Elizabeth Stuart | CNN

Thirteen schoolhouse employees from Miami-Dade County Public Schools person died from Covid-19 since August 16, the schoolhouse territory and section teacher national told CNN connected Tuesday.

Among the 13 were 4 teachers, 1 information monitor, 1 cafeteria idiosyncratic and 7 schoolhouse autobus drivers, United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez-Mats said. All were unvaccinated.

“These were bonzer educators and people, and their nonaccomplishment is being felt passim the community,” Hernandez-Mats said.

The schoolhouse district’s Covid-19 dashboard keeps way of cases, but not deaths. A spokesperson told CNN they were alert of the 13 deaths anecdotally and done household members who reported them.

“The nonaccomplishment of immoderate of our employees is 1 that is ever profoundly felt arsenic each subordinate of this enactment is considered a portion of Miami-Dade County Public Schools family,” the territory said successful a statement. “We widen our hearts and prayers to the loved ones of those whose lives person precocious been lost.”

According to the district’s dashboard, 147 students and 186 employees person tested affirmative for Covid-19 since August 13, erstwhile the dashboard started tracking cases for the schoolhouse year.

School started successful Miami-Dade connected August 23.

Miami-Dade is the largest schoolhouse territory successful the authorities and 1 of a fistful determination that has enacted a disguise mandate successful defiance of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Hope aft pop-up vaccination tract opens

To grant those the territory lost, Hernandez-Mats helped coordinate a pop-up vaccination tract for Miami-Dade employees Tuesday. Just a fewer hours into the event, 40 radical had travel to person their archetypal shot, she said. While that fig whitethorn not look large, she said it gives her hope.

“All that misinformation is creating a batch of fearfulness and this is an underserved community,” Hernandez-Mats said. “We looked astatine the information that we got from the section of wellness present successful the region and fundamentally what it told america was that 30% of the African American assemblage is vaccinated, and that’s mode beneath our averages here.”

The 13 employees who died were African American, she said.

The pop-up tract volition beryllium moving a 2nd clip successful a fewer weeks to springiness retired the 2nd dose of the vaccine.

“We’re truly hopeful and we’re pleased,” she said.

District wants to incentivize radical to get vaccinated

The Miami-Dade schoolhouse territory volition beryllium presenting an point to the schoolhouse committee this week “calling for a one-time $275 stipend to immoderate full-time & imperishable part-time worker who provides impervious of afloat vaccination,” a spokesperson from the territory said.

The territory besides said 85% of its teachers person received astatine slightest 1 dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, based connected a survey conducted by the United Teachers of Dade.