Lincoln mother worries about son, husband with pre-existing conditions getting COVID-19

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Right now in Lincoln, teachers are at the forefront of vaccinations after waiting behind doctors, law enforcement and homeless shelter staff.

A Lincoln mother, Cris Petersen, said, “I just feel like they are as important as the frontline workers.”

Cris Petersen is the mother of a boy with autism named Max. She said he’s more vulnerable to getting sick from covid-19 and knows getting teachers vaccinated provides a safety barrier at school

“They are putting themselves at risk for every single kid at school,” Petersen said.

While people at his school can get vaccinated things aren’t the same at home.

Petersen said parents of children with disabilities need the vaccine before they reach their age group.

“We’ve felt so discouraged that we haven’t been able to get it because he is at a higher risk. parents have kids who are at higher risk and they should be a priority,” Petersen said.

Not only does she want to look out for her son, but also her husband.

Brian Petersen was diagnosed with diabetes 12 years ago.

Petersen said, “If he were to get covid and he was having a diabetic episode because we just haven’t been able to pinpoint how exactly it is then it could really be a life-threatening situation.”

Under the state’s current plan, both Cris and Brian will wait until Phase 2 to get vaccinated. In the state’s older plan, Brian could’ve been vaccinated in the current phase.

President Biden plans to have all adults eligible for the vaccine by May.