Teachers do not need coronavirus vaccination for schools to reopen safely, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Walensky said there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that schools can safely reopen without vaccinated teachers.
“Vaccination of teachers is not a prerequisite for the safe reopening of schools,” she said during a COVID-19 White House meeting on Wednesday. Jeffrey Zients, COVID-19 response coordinator, reiterated President Biden’s strong desire to reopen schools.
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“This means that each school has the equipment and resources to open safely, not just private schools or schools in wealthy areas, but all schools,” said Zients. “And that is why we need the American Rescue Plan to be approved now.”
President Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan costs $ 1.9 trillion and includes funding for school virus tests, ventilation, PPE and adequate sanitation. Last week, 38% of public elementary and high schools still offered “virtual only” classes. About 38% are participating in face-to-face sessions and the remainder on hybrid programming, according to Burbio, who analyzes school websites for data.
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Tension is increasing in school systems across the country to reopen classrooms, as many teachers have not yet been vaccinated. In Chicago, the grudge is so great that teachers are about to attack. 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 dismissed a teacher union lawsuit over security issues.
While some communities claim that online classes remain the safest option for everyone, some parents, with the support of politicians and administrators, have complained that their children’s education is suffering from sitting at home in front of their computers and that isolation is hurting them emotionally.
Federal recommendations for vaccine prioritization group teachers in Phase 1B with other essential workers and older adults. The guidance previously established by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is only a recommendation, however, and states ultimately decide how to prioritize their vaccines.
Recent CDC findings, published on the JAMA Network, found that coronavirus transmission in schools was very low when mask use and social distance measures were taken.
Fox News’s Morgan Phillips and the Associated Press contributed to this report.