EDITORIAL: Teachers a priority for vaccine
Feb. 26—Missouri is finally taking a needed step to make its K-12 teachers eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
Gov. Mike Parson announced Thursday that teachers, among other "critical infrastructure" workers, will become eligible on Monday, March 15.
Because vaccine supply remains limited, most states have been restricting administration to certain groups of people — high-risk people such as the elderly, for example, or health care and other essential workers. In Missouri, eligible groups include nursing home residents and staff, health care workers, public safety workers, first responders, individuals 65 and older, and adults with additional health concerns.
But more and more states are beginning to move teachers into those priority groups. Leaders such as Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly said vaccinating teachers gets school districts one step closer to returning to full-time classrooms and away from virtual education.
As of the start of this week, at least 30 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have made some or all teachers eligible to receive the vaccine, according to Education Week, an independent K-12 education news organization that is tracking teacher vaccine eligibility.
Among the states where teachers are eligible? Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee and Kentucky — every state that shares a border with Missouri.
Among the states where teachers aren't currently eligible? Missouri. Of course, even in states where teachers can currently get a vaccine, they might still end up on a waiting list for days or weeks because of low supply. And in states where they can't get a vaccine, those who meet other criteria could be inoculated.
The push to vaccinate teachers becomes even more urgent in light of a new study that finds teachers may be drivers of COVID-19 transmission in schools. The paper released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied nine COVID-19 transmission clusters in elementary schools in an Atlanta suburb in December and January. Of the nine clusters, only one had a student clearly documented as the first case; eight involved probable teacher-to-student transmission, while at least two documented teachers infecting each other.
The focus for vaccinations in Missouri, state leaders have said, continues to be on people who are at high risk of getting sick or dying from COVID-19. High-risk residents should continue to be prioritized, but we're relieved to hear that teachers soon will be added to the list. They are essential workers — as essential to the health and functioning of our community as public safety workers and first responders — and allowing them to be vaccinated will recognize them as such.
