Maine will be eligible for vaccination for school staff regardless of age

Maine is making COVID-19 eligible for vaccination for school staff and childminders following a mandate from the Biden administration that has asked several states to reinstate their distribution priorities to include educators.

Government Janet Mills announced on Wednesday that school staff and caregivers of children before the K-12 are eligible for the vaccine regardless of age, in defiance of the previously announced plans of the state to follow an age-based approach. The news was welcomed by educators who were frustrated with the age plans, although the state said the decision to prioritize teachers, the attempt to get those over 60 vaccinated if the federal vaccine supply did not increase.

School staff and licensed child care workers now have access to appointments through the federal retail pharmacy program, which includes the Hannaford, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies in Maine. Other vaccine clinics will also begin accepting appointments for school staff and licensed child care workers, the governor’s office said in a news release.

“I share the president’s desire to vaccinate school staff and child care workers as quickly as possible, just as I want to see all people in Maine vaccinated as soon as possible,” Mills said in the release. ‘Based on the president’s mandate, we are working on our plan today to qualify school staff and childcare workers. We will continue to work day and night with our healthcare providers to shoot into as many arms as possible, and focus our efforts on those who are most at risk of dying if they contract the virus. ‘

More than 85 percent of COVID deaths in Maine were among those 70 years and older, and 98 percent were older than 50, according to CDC statistics.

Maine’s announcement comes just days after the state said age – based vaccinations would be preferred. The Maine Education Association returned Monday in a letter to the governor about the plans, saying many educators, including young teachers with high-risk medical conditions, are angry at not being prioritized, even though there is pressure on schools to do more to learn personally. .

“After months of advocacy from the MEA and the National Education Association – continued phone calls, letters and talks about the need for a vaccine for all our educators, MEA and its members breathe a collective sigh of relief before the K-12 tonight, President Maine Education Association, Grace Leavitt, said in a statement on Wednesday. The union said it was pleased that educators had been heard before the K-12 and that they would be given preference, and would continue to advocate for vaccines to be made available to those working in higher education.

Maine’s announcement comes a day after President Biden called on states to prioritize educators before vaccination and challenged them to administer at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to all educators and child care workers by the end of the month. Several states, including Texas, Washington, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have responded with updated plans to prioritize educators. More than thirty countries have already taken vaccinations for some or all teachers into account since Tuesday.

To be eligible, Maine will use a federal definition of school staff and licensed child care workers covering workers from preschool, primary and secondary schools, Head Start and Early Head Start programs, including teachers, staff and bus drivers and those who work. for or providers licensed for child care, including center and family care providers.

There are approximately 36,400 school staff and 16,000 childminders who are eligible for vaccinations again under the definitions, in addition to 10,632 school staff over the age of 60 who are already eligible for vaccinations under the age-based system.

Under the new federal policy, participants in the federal retail pharmacy program are required to provide exclusive access to available appointments to school staff and child care workers. Already scheduled appointments by people 60 years and older are not canceled.

Under the plan, which was announced last week, Maine is currently vaccinating residents 60 and older and they say it plans to open vaccinations in April for those 50 and older, those in May 40 and older. are older and those who are in June 30 and older. Vaccines are estimated to be available in July for those 29 and younger.

On Tuesday, however, President Biden said vaccine production had risen to the point where all adults would have access to vaccines by the end of May.

The Mills administration said in its news release that the number of new cases for school staff and students during the thirty days ending February 26 was 25 per 10,000, nearly 70 percent lower than the case for the general population. It has also acquired 250,000 BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests that have made it a priority for schools and childcare providers to extend regular tests and is expected to release information this week on how school staff 60 and older have access to dedicated vaccine clinics.

Still, Maine came under pressure ahead of Wednesday’s announcement to review its vaccination plans. In addition to the union’s request that the state review its plan and prioritize educators immediately, several school districts have sent decisions to the governor in recent weeks asking for educators to be given priority.

On Wednesday, dozens of current and former Maine County and State Teachers of the Year sent a letter to the governor highlighting the sacrifices teachers have made to schools this year and expressing disappointment at the age-based policies announced Friday.

“The local, state and national conversations are about how schools and teachers by default are one of the most important parts of our communities,” said Alison Babb-Brott, a second-degree teacher at St. George School in Tenants Harbor, said. , the Knox County Teacher of the Year in 2020 and an organizer of the letter.

‘We have heard time and time again that schools are the glue that holds our communities together for our students, our families and our economy. Thus, if we are recognized as such an essential service, we must act as an essential service and take steps in the midst of a pandemic to protect the staff who make the essential service possible. ”

Babb-Brott said Mills’ announcement on Wednesday was a ‘step in the right direction’ and she hoped the state would follow Biden’s government guidelines to get all educators at least their first chance by the end of the month. . “I am grateful for the recognition and will continue to encourage the administration to listen to the voices of educators across the state,” she said.

The push to vaccinate educators comes as schools in Maine and across the country are also considering adding more learning for students. The U.S. CDC said vaccines were not a prerequisite for reopening schools or bringing more people into buildings, but educators said they would increase safety and facilitate the transition.

Physical distance requirements and a lack of vaccinations for students still remain barriers to a full-time return, but some teachers believe vaccinations will help reduce quarantines to staff and staff shortages.

“We can not relax the other safety requirements, but I think a vaccination would be a very big step in the process for teachers, because it will increase safety,” said Cindy Soule, a fourth-grade teacher at the Gerald E Talbot Community School in Portland and the 2020 Maine Teacher of the Year. Soule said she had to be quarantined this school year due to exposure to the virus. “If I get vaccinated, or if I’m exposed, I do not have to quarantine and change my students’ learning,” she said.

This is especially important for students who do not have home support for distance education and for families who need to return to normal work schedules, she said.

Ann Hanna, principal at Talbot, said that vaccines could also reduce the stress of teachers and make schools work regularly again.

“It provides extra protection for teachers and reduces the stress that everyone feels by being vulnerable to the virus,” Hanna said. “It does not mean that we are going to take off our masks and embrace each other again, but it does help to reduce the stress and worry that you are being exposed or exposing someone else to this virus.”

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