Edinburg CISD hires COVID-19 director
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School districts have made major adjustments over the last 12 months to adapt to the pandemic.
The health and safety of students, teachers and staff is more important than ever before as the threat of COVID-19 persists, which is why Edinburg CISD hired a COVID-19 director to lead public health efforts and work to slow the spread.
"I'm in charge of everything dealing with COVID-19 and I advise the superintendent of where we're at and I make recommendations to him," said Dr. Anthony Garza, Edinburg CISD’s COVID-19 Director.
READ ALSO: Rio Grande Valley to receive more than 35,000 COVID-19 vaccines week of March 29, Texas DSHS says
The position was created by the district's new superintendent Dr. Mario Salinas.
"He wanted to make sure that one individual that had anything to do with COVID made sure those things were met," said Edinburg CISD School Board President Miguel “Mike” Farias.
Garza is tasked with the prevention, mitigation and response to COVID-19 across Edinburg CISD. This includes coordinating vaccine clinics, safety plans for all campuses, running the district's COVID-19 testing program for staff, reporting cases to the state and tracking virus-related hospitalizations.
READ ALSO: Texas set to make vaccines available to all adults on Monday
With vaccine eligibility expanding to all Texan adults on Monday, Garza says Edinburg CISD is now preparing to vaccinate students 18 and older with the first dose of the Moderna vaccine later this week.
Garza says he'll remain at the forefront of the district's COVID-19 response efforts until the pandemic comes to an end.
Correction: A graphic in a previous version of this article stated Anthony Garza was a medical doctor. Garza has a doctorate in education.
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