Latest News and Comment from Education

Sunday, January 3, 2021

Teachers start getting coronavirus vaccines -- but only in some places - The Washington Post

Teachers start getting coronavirus vaccines -- but only in some places - The Washington Post
When will teachers get vaccinated? Some already have — but most are nervously waiting




A small number of teachers and school nurses in a few states have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but most are still waiting amid a stumbling rollout of the vaccine across the country.

Even as a new, highly contagious strain of the coronavirus has been confirmed in some U.S. states and a few thousand people are dying from covid-19 each day, officials in many districts are making plans to reopen schools soon and teachers are coming under increasing pressure to return to classrooms.

President-elect Joe Biden has said he wants to see most U.S. schools reopen in the first 100 days of his administration, which begins Jan. 20. And Congress recently approved a coronavirus relief package that includes $54 billion for K-12 schools, which could help districts cover expenses for measures aimed at stemming the spread of the virus in schools.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that states prioritize teachers as part of the second group of people eligible for vaccines — but each state will make its own decision, and there are big differences in approach among governors.

In Indiana, teachers in rural Knox County began receiving the vaccine on Dec. 28 — but not because they were prioritized over health-care workers and the elderly but because there were extra vials, CONTINUE READING: Teachers start getting coronavirus vaccines -- but only in some places - The Washington Post