RI Vaccinating All Teachers, School Staff, Childcare Workers

Rhode Island will try to get every K-12 teacher, school staffer and childcare worker at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination by the end of March, Gov. Dan McKee announced Tuesday.

Rhode Island's 30 municipally operated clinics will be administering the vaccinations, which will begin as early as Friday. Those eligible include teachers, administrators, custodial staff, bus drivers, bus monitors and others at all schools.

"Getting our teachers and school staff and childcare workers vaccinated is one of the best things that we can do right now to support students, families, schools and the economy," McKee said.

Vaccinations will be administered based on where one works, not lives. Second doses are expected to be administered in April.

Providence will use an alternative approach, establishing a clinic that will vaccinate teachers, school staff and childcare workers two days a week. People can begin scheduling appointments Wednesday by calling 401-444-8139.

"Our ultimate goal is to do what's best for the kids," McKee said. "In order to do that we must strive for higher teacher vaccination rates. And I'm proud to say that Rhode Island is a state that has a plan.

That plan still includes opening up vaccination eligibility to people 60-64 and 16-64 with certain underlying health conditions in the middle of the month, as well as vaccinating the rest of those who have already been eligible. Adding educators to the mix will increase those eligible by tens of thousands.

"This effort to get teachers, school staff and childcare workers vaccinated is keeping us moving in the right direction," Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott said.

The state is in the top 10 percent nationally of the percentage of population vaccinated and doses administered, Alexander-Scott said.

Teachers had only been able to get vaccinated in Rhode Island if they were 65 or over. In recent days CVS and Walgreens added educators, school staff and childcare workers to their eligibility lists.