Driven by increased vaccine shipments, states and cities are rapidly expanding admission for COVID-19 shots to teachers, Americans 50 and older, as the United States competes to defeat the virus and return to open companies and schools.
Indiana and Michigan will begin vaccinating those 50 and older, while Arizona and Connecticut have opened the line to those who are at least 55 years old. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin reserve the first doses of Johnson & Johnson’s new unique vaccine for teachers. And in Detroit, factory workers can be vaccinated starting this week, regardless of age.
Giving the vaccine to teachers and other school staff members “will help protect our communities,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said. “It simply came to our notice then. It will get our schools back into the business of teaching our children. ”
To date, the outbreak vaccination campaign that killed more than half a million Americans has focused primarily on health workers and the elderly.
In the United States, politicians and school administrators have been pushing hard in recent weeks to reopen classrooms to prevent students from falling behind and allow more parents to return to work. But teachers have resisted returning without being vaccinated.
The Department of Health and Human Services has ordered all states that teachers, school staff, bus drivers and child care workers be eligible to be shot. This is a major change for the Biden administration, which controls access to COVID-19 vaccines, but which previously allowed states to set their own guidelines.
Jody Mackey, 46, a history and digital media teacher in Traverse City, Michigan, where students have attended mostly in person since September, received her second dose nearly two weeks ago after teachers in her district were designated essential workers.
Before, he kept the classroom windows open and used heaters.
“If you want schools to be successful and safe and you want your teachers to have their heads in the game, get vaccinated,” he said. “Putting teachers in a situation where they feel scared all the time, where they will want to avoid their children, how good is it for children or teachers?”
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday ordered students and teachers to return to school this month, saying many teachers have already received their second dose.
“The science is clear: it’s time for all children to have the option to go back to school so they can get back on track and be able to bridge the gap in achievement,” Ducey said in a statement.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States has administered more than 80 million shots at a vaccination unit that is now hitting the spot. More than 20% of the nation’s adults, or about 52 million people, have received at least one dose and 10% have been fully inoculated.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the United States plans to have a sufficient vaccine by the end of May for all adults (two months ahead of schedule), although it is likely to take longer to administer. He also urged states to give at least one shot to teachers before the month and said the government will provide the doses through its pharmacy program.
In Wisconsin, teachers will have priority when the state receives the first shipment of some 48,000 doses of the J&J vaccine, health officials said. Pennsylvania teachers will also be the first in line when a planned 94,000 doses of this formula arrive this week.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced this week that educators, school staff and child care workers can now receive shots. In Texas, where teachers have been struggling to access gunfire, state officials on Wednesday ordered vaccine providers to begin administering gunfire to school workers.
And in Massachusetts, about 400,000 teachers, child care workers and school staff can enroll in vaccines as of March 11, Gov. Charlie Baker said, though he warned it could take time to book appointments so supplies remain limited.
Tennessee will open vaccines Monday to approximately one million people over the age of 16 who suffer from high-risk health conditions and to homes with medically vulnerable children.
The rush to vaccinate comes when many states ease restrictions on individuals and businesses, despite repeated warnings from health officials that the United States is running another lethal wave. Biden called on the Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi to lift the rules of the mask.
“We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease,” the president said Wednesday. “The last thing we need is for Neanderthals to think that, in the meantime, everything is fine, take off your mask, forget it. It still matters. “
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves retweeted on Twitter. “Mississippi people don’t need managers. As the numbers decrease, they can evaluate their decisions and listen to the experts, ”he said. “I guess I just think we should trust Americans and not insult them.”
Although confirmed deaths and infections have recently fallen from their highs in January, they remain at high levels. The United States has an average of about 2,000 deaths and 66,000 cases a day.
The director of the CDC, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, encouraged Americans to “do the right thing,” even if states lift their restrictions.
Vaccines are considered essential for people to return to work and revitalize the battered economy.
“The more people we can get the vaccine safe and effective, the faster we can get back to the feeling of normalcy,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement Wednesday that people ages 50 to 64 could start to be vaccinated on March 22nd.
Cindy Estrada, vice president of United Auto Workers, said there have been illnesses and deaths among factory workers, so Detroit’s decision to offer them shots “is incredibly important.”
“It will give them some peace of mind,” he said, leaving his arm in sight.
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Associated Press writers Collin Binkley in Boston; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; Ed White in Detroit; John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan; Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Tennessee; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Terry Tang in Phoenix; Tom Davies in Indianapolis; and Alexandra Jaffe, Nancy Benac, and Zeke Miller contributed to Washington.