Leftist CA Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that state officials will set aside 10% of California’s weekly allotment of Coronavirus vaccine doses for educators, but these are the same teachers who refuse to return to work ‘no matter what.’
Newsom says the new allocation is an effort to “jump-start the process of reopening more public school campuses” as pandemic conditions improve in communities across the state.
His announcement, made during a visit to an Oakland vaccination clinic, marked a swift turn of events after school reopening negotiations between Newsom and state lawmakers stalled, in part over the governor’s reluctance to promise vaccinations to teachers and other school employees.
Though a number of issues over how to resume in-person instruction remain unresolved, none has been more contentious than how to prioritize educators within the state’s queue for immunizations.
“It must be done much sooner than the current path that we’re on,” Newsom said Friday about reopening schools. “We believe this will help advance that cause.”
WATCH:
LIVE NOW: Governor @GavinNewsom visits a mobile clinic providing vaccinations to teachers and school staff in neighborhoods heavily impacted by #COVID19. https://t.co/wrSg2sHT5X
— Office of the Governor of California (@CAgovernor) February 19, 2021
The governor said the program will begin March 1.
Based on current allocations from the federal government, the state will reserve about 75,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for school employees.
NEW: Newsom says California will set aside 10% of vaccine first doses for teachers starting March 1. Starting with 75K weekly.
The state is already prioritizing teachers in the current tier of distribution but is struggling with supply, as counties focus on residents 65+ older
— Mackenzie Mays (@MackenzieMays) February 19, 2021
Newsom did not say whether teachers and other staff members should expect to receive full treatment — the two injections required by current vaccines — before returning to campuses or should expect to be vaccinated soon after schools open.
Higher-education employees will also be considered eligible for priority vaccinations, according to the state guidelines.
“Over a four-week period, that’s about 300,000 vaccinations prioritized to our workforce in order to get our schools reopened and support our child-care workers,” Newsom said.
