Gov. Wolf To Unveil Plan To Vaccinate PA Teachers

UPDATE: Here's Pennsylvania's plan to vaccinate teachers, and which ones will go first.

HARRISBURG, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf and the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force are expected on Wednesday to announce a plan to vaccinate teachers and other school staff.

According to information from the governor's office, the plan will involve using Pennsylvania’s allocation of the newly-approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine. A morning news conference has been scheduled. Check back to Patch for updates.

Currently in Pennsylvania, the coronavirus vaccine is available to the 1A priority group. That includes healthcare workers, people over the age of 65, people with serious underlying medical conditions, residents and staff in low-income and senior housing and staff and residents in long-term care facilities.

All education staff remains in Phase 1B for vaccination, along with clergy, corrections staff, law enforcement, firefighters, food and agriculture workers, grocery store staff, caregivers for children and adult daycare, manufacturing staff, transit workers, USPS staff, and veterinarians.

However, there has been a recent push to move teachers and school staff towards the front of the vaccine line.

A national poll, not specific to Pennsylvania, released Feb. 17 by Morning Consult found that 55 percent of those polled said states should wait to reopen schools until teachers have received the vaccine, while 34 percent said schools should be reopened as soon as possible, even if not every teacher has been vaccinated.