Spurred on by an increase in vaccine shipments, states and cities are rapidly expanding eligibility for COVID-19 injections for teachers, Americans aged 55 and over, and other groups, as the United States scrambles to fight the virus and reopen businesses and schools.
Arizona, Connecticut and Indiana paved the way for the younger age group. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are reserving the first doses of Johnson & Johnson’s new unique vaccine for teachers. And in Detroit, factory workers can be vaccinated starting this week, regardless of their age.
Giving the vaccine to teachers and other school officials “will help protect our communities,” said Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. “It will relieve our parents and families. This will make our schools teach our children again ”.
So far, the vaccination campaign against the outbreak that killed more than half a million Americans has focused mainly on health professionals and the elderly.
In the United States, politicians and school administrators have been pushing hard in recent weeks to reopen classrooms to prevent students from being left behind and to allow more parents to go back to work instead of supervising their children’s education. But the teachers resisted returning without being vaccinated.
Jody Mackey, 46, a professor of digital media and high school history in Traverse City, Michigan – where students have been attending the majority in person since September – received her second dose almost two weeks ago, after teachers in her district were assigned as workers essential.
Before that, she kept the classroom windows open and used heaters.
“If you want schools to be successful and safe and you want your teachers to play the game, vaccinate them,” she said. “Putting teachers in a situation where they are scared all the time, where they will want to avoid their children, how good is it for children or teachers?”
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on Wednesday ordered students and teachers to return to school later this month, saying that many teachers have already received their second dose in the state’s early vaccination efforts.
“The science is clear: it is time for all children to have the option to go back to school so they can get back on track and we can close the performance gap,” said Ducey in a statement.
The United States has administered nearly 80 million vaccines in a vaccination campaign that is catching up, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 20% of the country’s adults, or about 52 million people, received at least one dose and 10% were fully inoculated.
President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the United States hopes to have enough vaccine by the end of May for all adults, two months ahead of schedule, although it is likely to take longer to administer these vaccines. He also pressured states to give at least one injection in the arms of teachers by the end of March and said the government would supply the doses directly through its pharmacy program.
In Wisconsin, teachers will have priority when the state receives its first shipment of about 48,000 doses of the J&J vaccine, health officials said. Pennsylvania teachers will also be first in line when 94,000 doses of the J&J formula arrive this week.
Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced this week that educators, school officials and child caregivers can now get vaccines.
And in Massachusetts, about 400,000 teachers, day care centers and school staff will be eligible to apply for vaccination starting March 11, Governor Charlie Baker said on Wednesday, although he warned that it may take some time to schedule appointments because the supply remains limited.
Tennessee will open vaccines on Monday to about 1 million people over the age of 16 who have high-risk health conditions and those in families with clinically fragile children.
The rush to vaccinate comes as many states ease restrictions on people and businesses, despite repeated warnings from health officials that the United States is risking another lethal wave. Biden on Wednesday asked the Republican governors of Texas and Mississippi to withdraw their mask rules.
“We are about to fundamentally change the nature of this disease,” said the president. “The last thing we need is for the Neanderthal to think that, in the meantime, it’s okay, take off your mask, forget it. It still matters. “
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves returned to Twitter. “Mississippians don’t need manipulators. As the numbers drop, they can assess their choices and listen to experts, ”he said. “I think we should only trust Americans, not insult them.”
Although recently confirmed deaths and infections fell from their peak in January, they are still at high levels. The US averages about 2,000 deaths and 66,000 cases per day.
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky encouraged Americans to “do the right thing”, even if states lifted their restrictions.
Vaccinations are seen as the key to getting people back to work and revitalizing the shaky economy.
“The more people we can get the vaccine safe and effective, the faster we can return to a sense of normalcy,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement on Wednesday, announcing that all people aged 50 and over 64 years old can start vaccinating on March 22. .
Cindy Estrada, vice president of United Auto Workers, said there were illnesses and deaths among factory workers, so Detroit’s decision to offer them vaccines “is incredibly important.”
“It will give them a little peace of mind,” she said as she stripped her arm for a shot.
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Associated Press writers Chris Grygiel in Olympia, Washington; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; Ed White in Detroit; John Flesher in Traverse City, Michigan; Kimberlee Kruesi 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.