Most teachers have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, CDC says
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Nearly 80% of teachers, school staff and child care workers have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC said.
“That’s great progress protecting our educators, our essential workers,” President Joe Biden said during an address on Tuesday.
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Biden had previously directed states to prioritize teachers, school staff and child care workers for vaccination. According to the CDC, more than 2 million of them have been vaccinated through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, in addition to at least 5 million who were vaccinated through state programs.
“Our push to ensure that teachers, school staff, and child care workers were vaccinated during March has paid off and paved the way for safer in-person learning,” CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH, said in a statement. “CDC will build on the success of this program and work with our partners to continue expanding our vaccination efforts as we work to ensure confidence in COVID-19 vaccines.”
The CDC has said previously that teachers do not need to be vaccinated in order for schools to be open.
One of the country’s largest teachers unions also reported that around 80% of teachers had been vaccinated, and that 85% said their schools were back to operating on at least a part-time basis.
“Educators are rolling up their sleeves, not only to get vaccinated but to return to in-person schooling with the CDC’s safety guardrails in place,” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said in a statement.