Teachers are moving up in the state’s priority plan for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Governor Tom Wolf made the announcement this morning, saying the state is expecting about 94,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
He says these vaccines will be designated for teachers in public and private school as well as child care workers.
“We want to keep staff and students safer in schools. And we want to help get students back into the classroom faster than by doing it this way than any other way we could conceive,” Wolf said.
Wolf said the current plan would be to prioritize teachers for younger students and those with disabilities.
“Vaccinating teachers and staff is an important step into getting students back into the classroom safely,” Wolf added.
Butler Area Superintendent Dr. Brian White hopes that the distribution will not disrupt the school week but he will be ready to accommodate the situation if that is the time the state makes the vaccines available.
“My hope is they’re going to operate this seven days a week. If we’re fortunate enough to have a Saturday or Sunday for our vaccination distribution, then we wouldn’t have any interruption to school and that would be the ideal situation. But we’ll deal with whatever comes our way as we have since the onset of this.”
Vaccinations are expected to begin next week at Intermediate Units across the state. The National Guard will also be responsible for the logistics and administering shots.
