Governor Lamont today announced that teachers and other frontline workers will likely be able to schedule vaccinations in late February or early March along with other frontline workers and individuals with underlying medical conditions.
There has been some confusion as to when teachers are prioritized in Phase 1-B of the vaccine rollout. CEA has consistently advocated that teachers be a top priority in Phase 1-B. (Phase 1-A was for medical personnel and nursing home residents; that phase is concluding.) Registration is now open for Phase 1-B for those 75-and-older. Individuals 65 to 74, including any teachers that fall into that group, will be able to schedule vaccine appointments next, likely in early February.
Lamont said that older adults are next in Phase 1-B because they are far more likely to require hospitalization and die if they contract COVID. By vaccinating seniors Lamont said the state will save lives and free up hospital capacity.
Lamont added that the state is hindered from being able to vaccinate more people more quickly due to the number of doses available. “The demand is still greatly exceeding supply,” he said.
If the state can obtain more doses of vaccine due to the efforts of the Biden Administration and if vaccines other than those made by Moderna and Pfizer receive approval from the FDA, Lamont said that the state will be able to speed up its timeline. President-elect Biden has said he plans to invoke the Defense Production Act to increase the production of COVID vaccines. There are reports that the FDA is only weeks away from reviewing new vaccine data from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.
Some districts did mistakenly allow teachers to register to be vaccinated. The Department of Public Health has said that the appointments of teachers who mistakenly scheduled vaccination times through this Thursday will be honored. However, DPH officials are asking those who are scheduled for vaccinations after Thursday and who do not meet the current priority criteria (over 75 years of age, health care worker, etc.), to cancel their appointments.
Connecticut ranks fifth in the nation and first in New England in getting the Phase 1-A population vaccinated. CEA continues to work to ensure that teachers are a top priority in Phase 1-B and are scheduled for vaccines as soon as possible.
We will share more about when teachers can schedule vaccination appointments as soon as that information becomes available. Subscribe to BlogCEA for the latest updates.
