Teachers who will be in classrooms this school year are now eligible to receive coronavirus vaccines in San Bernardino County, but they will obtain them in school districts, so vaccine clinic appointments will be for the elderly, the county announced at Wednesday, February 3.
The county also said that this week it will open several weeks of vaccination appointments for the elderly and announce plans to open more community vaccination centers.
A mobile vaccination program to assist elderly people near their homes is also coming, a county press release said.
It is part of a new approach to vaccinating as many elderly people as possible.
“Elderly people are most at risk with COVID-19,” Curt Hagman, chairman of the county council of supervisors, said in a written statement. “That’s why the county has no higher priority than making sure that we reach and serve everyone in our county aged 65 and over quickly.”
The county has focused on the elderly and also the first respondents, but this week I learned that all police and firefighters who work in the county and want to be vaccinated have received vaccination opportunities, the statement said.
The county’s strategy aims to allow vaccinations for teachers who are currently taking face-to-face classes or planning to return to classes during the current school year, without interrupting care for the elderly.
Schools and districts will work with local vaccine providers to serve qualified teachers, rather than creating competition between seniors and teachers for online appointments, the statement said.
The strategy came from several weeks of talks with San Bernardino County School Superintendent Ted Alejandre, school districts and private schools across the county to devise strategies for vaccinating teachers, according to the note.
“Smart county vaccine management and productive partnerships with vaccine providers, such as hospitals and pharmacies, are helping us to start creating a safe environment for teachers and students, which is essential in our efforts to control the virus and return our communities to normal life, ”said Hagman. “Best of all, we are doing this in a way that does not interfere with the availability of schedules for the elderly.”
When available, vaccine appointments can be made at https://sbcovid19.com/vaccine/. People can also subscribe to the site to receive notifications when scheduling is available.