West Liberty cancels school due to COVID-19 vaccine side effects

WEST LIBERTY - The West Liberty School District canceled classes Monday after several teachers reported experiencing side effects after receiving a second Moderna COVID-19 vaccination over the weekend.

On Saturday, district staff received the second dose of the vaccine at a special clinic. When the district checked in with teachers Sunday, 64 percent reported having some kind of side effect and 28 percent thought the side effects made them feel too poorly to go to work.

Classes were canceled Monday to give the staff members a chance to feel better. Classes are expected to resume Tuesday.

'We followed up with them yesterday (Sunday) because we were very well warned that we could experience side effects from the vaccine,” said Kara Dennis, district data and communications administrative assistant. 'You are more likely to get them on the second one than the first. We wanted to reach out so we could be prepared as far as being able to staff our buildings and our transportation input service department for school.”

According to the district's website, its base enrollment is over 1,220 students.

The district was able to partner with Muscatine County Public Health over the weekend to get the second round of vaccines for the staff. Dennis said there have been several cases of COVID-19 in the district since school began in January. In November, the district closed because the number of confirmed cases was so high.

Dennis said the district had plenty of warning that the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine has been known to 'pack a punch.”

'We do know that second doses of Moderna have resulted in the side effects noted by the manufacturer for 24-48 hours,” said Christy Roby Williams, director of Muscatine County Public Health.

The side effects reported from West Liberty teachers were COVID-19-like symptoms including headache, fatigue and fever.

Moderna vaccine has shown to be 94 percent effective against contracting and spreading COVID-19. Physicians still are testing to determine how long the injection lasts.