ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — It's been nearly a year since Anderson County kindergarten teacher Jessica Bray hugged her grandmother, Dorothy.
"The people that are closest to me, I want to be with them again. I don't want that separation any longer," she said after nearly a year of social distancing to keep them safe from the coronavirus.
Friday, she got one shot closer to the hug she's been longing for after so much time.
Anderson County High School wiped down its gym — home to the Mavericks — and transformed it into a coronavirus vaccination site for more than 600 school staff members.
Special education teacher Jessica Duffle was among those who were signed up for the vaccine.
"I don't want to worry about my kids getting sick. I don't want them to worry about me getting sick," she said.
In Anderson County, the school district itself became a vaccine distribution point. It set up two refrigerators with special temperature sensing monitors to store the vaccine until distribution day on Friday.
It plans another virtual learning day for students next month, so staff will be able to get their second doses.
"There is a hesitation, a little bit, of what will the side effects be," Bray said. "But at the same time, I think the benefits far outweigh the risks."
With the mass distribution of shots, it's a chance for hundreds of more people like her to get back to a more normal life.
"I'm going to go hug my little baby niece that I haven't seen in a year. I'm going to go visit my grandmother and hug her and hear her stories and not miss another second with her," she said.