Teachers do not need any coronavirus vaccination to reopen schools safely, says Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Walensky said there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that schools can reopen safely without vaccinated teachers.
“Vaccination of teachers is not a prerequisite for the safe reopening of schools,” she said during an information session of the White House COVID-19 on Wednesday. Jeffrey Zients, COVID-19 Response Coordinator, reiterates President Biden’s strong desire to reopen schools.
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“This means that every school has the equipment and means to open safely, not only private schools or schools in affluent areas, but also all schools,” Zients said. “And that’s why we need the US rescue plan to succeed now.”
President Biden’s COVID-19 aid plan costs $ 1.9 billion, and includes funding for schools’ virus testing, ventilation, PBT and proper disinfection. As of last week, 38% of K-12 public schools still offered “virtual only” classes. About 38% fully attend sessions, and the rest are on a hybrid schedule, according to Burbio, which scrapes school websites for data.
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Tensions are building on school systems to reopen classrooms, as many teachers have yet to be vaccinated. In Chicago, the turmoil is so great that teachers are about to strike. In California, a frustrated Governor Gavin Newsom begged schools to find a way to reopen. In Cincinnati, some students returned to classrooms on Tuesday after a judge filed a lawsuit over education security.
While some communities claim that online classes remain the safest option for all, some parents, with the support of politicians and administrators, have complained that the education of their children suffers from sitting at home in front of their computers and that isolation harms them emotionally.
Federal vaccine prioritization recommendations group teachers in Phase 1B with other essential workers and older adults. However, the guidance previously set forth by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is only a recommendation, and states ultimately decide how to prioritize their vaccines.
Recent findings from the CDC, published in JAMA Network, found that the transmission of coronavirus in schools was very low when measures were taken and social distance was taken.
Fox News’ Morgan Phillips and Associated Press contributed to this report.