Texas teachers, childcare workers now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine

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Teachers in Texas are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, health officials announced Wednesday.

Immediately effective, all Texas vaccine providers must include all school staff, Head Start program staff, and child care staff in their vaccine administration programs, according to a notice sent to Texas by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The announcement comes after the Biden government on Tuesday urged all countries to vaccinate teachers and school staff. Texas has not prioritized teachers before. Texas received a letter Tuesday night from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services instructing it to expand the qualification, according to a DSHS news release.

Eligible are ‘those working in kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, as well as Head Start and Early Head Start programs (including teachers, staff and bus drivers) and those working as or for licensed childcare providers, including center-based and family care providers, “according to that federal directive.

State health officials said earlier this week that they are expected to vaccinate older and most vulnerable Texans in the next few weeks and increase the election to include more Texans by the end of the month.

The new group is expected to include teachers before Wednesday’s announcement, but officials did not say who else will be in the new ‘1C’ group.

The first 1A and 1B priority groups, which according to health officials include more than 8 million people, include front-line health workers, people over 65 and those of any age with medical vulnerability.

The early inclusion of teachers comes as the vaccine supply increases and 2 million people, or 6.8% of the population of Texas, are fully vaccinated with both doses of two-regimen regimens.

The newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose, was administered in Texas this week, officials said.

As of March 1, 5.7 million doses have been administered, and providers across the state have administered an average of 123,469 doses of vaccines in the past week. None of the vaccines are approved for children under 16, which makes up about 23% of the population.

The supply of the vaccine is still shooting less than the demand and the number of people who are eligible to get it.

The decision also comes a day after Gov. Greg Abbott announced he would allow all businesses to reopen and revoke a long-standing mask mandate. Many school officials, unprepared for Abbott’s decision, have chosen to still need masks on their campuses and are awaiting further state education.

Educators and advocates have begged the state to include teachers as it launches its vaccination program this winter and spring. After Abbott’s announcement Tuesday, several educator groups reprimanded him for removing the mask requirement without prioritizing teachers for vaccinations.

‘Abbott has deviated from his responsibility to like medical advice and explain what needs to happen to keep our schools safe. “Every top health official has stressed that even with vaccinations, we need to use the simplest tools to stop the spread,” Zeph Capo, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said in a statement on Tuesday.

In response to Biden’s proclamation, CVS Pharmacy has already made appointments available to educators, school staff, and child care workers in Texas and other states where it provides vaccines.

CVS is part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, a collaboration between the federal government, states and pharmacies across the country.

Karen Brooks Harper contributed to this report.