Driven by an increase in vaccines, states and cities are rapidly expanding the suitability of COVID-19 shots for teachers, 55-and-more Americans and other groups, while the US wants to do so to fight back the virus and businesses and to reopen schools.
Arizona, Connecticut and Indiana have opened the line to the younger age group. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin discuss the first doses of Johnson & Johnson’s new single-shot vaccine for teachers. And in Detroit, factory workers can be vaccinated from this week, regardless of their age.
“Giving the vaccine to teachers and other school staff will help protect our communities,” said the Pennsylvania government’s Tom Wolf. ‘It’s going to take down our parents and families. It will make our schools work again on the learning of our children. ”
So far, the vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed more than half a million Americans has mostly focused on health workers and senior citizens.
Around the U.S., politicians and school administrators have been working hard over the past few weeks to reopen classrooms to prevent students from falling behind and enable more parents to return to work instead of supervising their children. But teachers resisted them without being vaccinated.
Jody Mackey, 46, a high school digital media and history teacher in Traverse City, Michigan – where students have mostly attended in person since September – received her second dose nearly two weeks ago after teachers in her district were named essential workers is.
Before that, she kept her classroom windows open and used space heaters.
“If you want schools to be successful and safe and you want your teachers to keep their heads in the game, you have to get the vaccination,” she said. “To put teachers in a situation where they feel scared all the time, where they want to avoid their children, how is it good for children or teachers?”
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Wednesday ordered students and teachers to return to school later this month, saying many teachers had already received their second dose in the state’s early vaccination efforts.
“The science is clear: it’s time for all children to have the option to go back to school so that they can get back on track and we can reduce the performance gap,” Ducey said in a statement.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. fired nearly 80 million shots in a vaccination operation that is now hitting its target. More than 20% of the country’s adults, or nearly 52 million people, have received at least one dose and 10% have been fully vaccinated.
President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the United States expects to have enough vaccine for all adults by the end of May, two months earlier than expected, although it is likely to take longer than administering the shots. He also urged states to get at least one shot in the arms of teachers by the end of March, saying the government would give the doses directly through its pharmacy program.
In Wisconsin, teachers will be given preference when the state receives its first shipment of about 48,000 doses of J&J vaccine, health authorities said. Pennsylvania teachers will also be first in line when an expected 94,000 doses of the J&J formula arrive this week.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced this week that educators, school staff and child care workers can now get shots.
And in Massachusetts, about 400,000 teachers, child care workers and school staff will be eligible to register for vaccinations from March 11, Governor Charlie Baker said Wednesday, though he warned it could take some time to book appointments because supply is limited. is.
Tennessee will open vaccinations on Monday for about 1 million people over the age of 16 who have high-risk health conditions and those in households with medically fragile children.
The rush to vaccinate comes as many states ease restrictions on people and businesses, despite repeated warnings from health officials that the U.S. is still risking a deadly wave. Biden on Wednesday asked Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi to lift their mask rules.
“We are about to fundamentally change the nature of this disease,” the president said. ‘The last thing we need is the Neanderthal who thinks everything is fine in the meantime, takes off your mask and forgets. It still matters. ”
The government of Mississippi, Tate Reeves, hit back on Twitter. ‘Mississippians do not need handlers. ‘As the numbers go down, they can judge their choices and listen to experts,’ he said. “I think I should just trust Americans and not insult them.”
While deaths and newly confirmed infections dropped from their peaks in January, they are still running at high levels. The US records an average of nearly 2,000 deaths and 66,000 cases a day.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky urged Americans to ‘do the right thing’, even if states set their restrictions.
Vaccinations are seen as the key to getting people back to work and reviving the battered economy.
“The more people we can get the safe and effective vaccination, the faster we can return to a sense of normalcy,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement Wednesday, announcing that all people from 50 to 64 years old on March 22 can start getting vaccinated. .
Cindy Estrada, a vice president of United Auto Workers, said there were illnesses and deaths among factory workers, which is why Detroit’s decision to offer shots is “incredibly important.”
“It will give them some peace of mind,” she said as she bared her arm for a shot.
___
Associated Press writers Chris Grygiel in Olympia, Washington; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; Ed White in Detroit; John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan; Kimberlee Cruises in Nashville, Tennessee; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Terry Tang in Phoenix; and Alexandra Jaffe, Nancy Benac and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed to this story.