Hundreds of Fulton County teachers get vaccinated at Mercedes Benz Stadium

ATLANTA — Hundreds of local teachers, staff and their spouses got the COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination event at Mercedes Benz Stadium Saturday.

Channel 2′s Lauren Davis was at the stadium, where Fulton County education employees over 65 years old rolled up their sleeves and got their first round of shots.

Superintendent Mike Looney announced that the 2,000 eligible staff members would be offered the vaccine on Saturday.

Atlanta Public Schools held a similar event at the stadium for 280 employees who are nurses, police officers and employees age 65 and older who signed up for a slot in advance.

The event was organized with the Fulton County Board of Health.

Davis talked to retired English teacher Barbara Tathcart, who was the 300th Fulton County Schools employee to get vaccinated Saturday.

[SPECIAL SECTION: COVID-19 Vaccine in Georgia]

“I have underlying health issues and the age factor,” Tathcart said. “I wanted to do whatever I can to prevent getting COVID-19”

Joe Rosenthal is a school bus driver and he wanted to do his part to keep himself and the children he drives healthy.

“(I had) no reservations whatsoever,” Rosenthal said. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

Anita Cohn is the spouse of a school administration employee and she said she rests a little easier knowing she got the vaccine.

[LINK: Where to find the COVID-19 vaccine in Georgia]

“I think we need to get a vaccination and I trust it,” Cohn said. “I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Bryan Noyes with Fulton County Schools said it was important that they offer the vaccine to spouses as well.

“If you think about it, a teacher and spouse, we want them both to be protected,” Noyes said.

Noyes said that as soon as the state changes the Georgia public heath criteria to include teachers under 65, they’ll look at vaccinating them.

“As soon as that opens, we’ll go back to the table and facilitate that,” Noyes said.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

We need you! State looking for volunteers to help speed up COVID-19 vaccinations across GA The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks Georgia at 49 out of the 50 states at rate of vaccination – only ahead of Alabama.