Wolf: More than 112K Pa. teachers and staff vaccinated in 3 weeks

More than 112,500 teachers and school staffers across Pennsylvania received a covid-19 vaccine in less than a month, leading Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday to declare his aggressive vaccination plan for educators a victory.

“This is a great success,” Wolf declared during a trip to Luzerne County. “We know that teachers and students want to be back in the classroom where students can learn, laugh and grow with their friends. Completing our special vaccination initiative is a big milestone for Pennsylvania, one that will better protect schools, families and communities.”

Wolf in early March announced the first shipments of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be set aside for teachers and other school staff – aides, bus drivers and more. He said the special initiative was finished ahead of schedule.

“One of the frustrations was the vaccine,” Wolf said of the work to get students back to in-person learning. “When we started, this was a struggle but it was especially a struggle for teachers. Unless you were 65 or older or had one of those underlying conditions, you were really stuck.”

Within the first week, more than 6,500 teachers and staff had received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, with 20 of the state’s 28 intermediate units setting up clinics in that time.

“In less than one month, communities across Pennsylvania collaborated around the clock to vaccinate thousands of teachers and school staff,” said Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega, something he called a “remarkable and heroic effort.”

On Wednesday, Pennsylvania officials updated guidance for schools, bringing it line with the most recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While students, teachers and staff were previously required to maintain six feet of distance, the new guidelines allow students to be three feet apart in elementary schools, and in middle or high schools in counties with low or moderate community transmission.

Six feet of distance should be maintained among older students in areas with substantial community spread, in common areas like auditoriums and lobbies and during activities with “increased exhalation” – like sports, singing or shouting. These activities should also be moved outdoors or in large, well ventilated rooms, officials said.