LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday, the Governor’s Office released a plan to dedicate a portion of California's vaccine supply to inoculating teachers and other school staff, while local officials reported that most of Lake County’s education workers have now been vaccinated.
Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that, beginning on March 1, at least 10 percent of vaccine supply would be dedicated to education workers, including teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, child care workers and site-based administrators.
“The education professionals who nurture and support our children deserve to be and have been prioritized for vaccines, and I am proud to accelerate those efforts in all 58 counties,” said Gov. Newsom. “Our top priority is getting students back in the classroom as safely and quickly as possible, and the expanded access to vaccines will build on the momentum and confidence that we can do so with urgency.”
Just over half of states – including California – currently authorize vaccines for education workers. Newsom’s office said that vaccine prioritization has been a core component of the Safe Schools for All Plan since December.
Counties have been authorized to vaccinate education workers based on supply since January and, at the state’s encouragement, at least 35 counties are actively vaccinating education workers, Newsom’s office reported.
In Lake County, Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace told the Board of Supervisors during his Tuesday report that the county’s K-12 teachers have now been vaccinated.
Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg offered Lake County News additional details about the local vaccination effort.
He said there are 1,352 public, charter and private school staff in Lake County.
Of those, he said 964 school staff members requested vaccinations and have been offered a vaccination registration code.
Falkenberg said all school staff who initially expressed a desire to be vaccinated have received at least their first shot and Public Health is scheduling second shots.
School staffers who may have delayed vaccination due to medical reasons are being scheduled when they are medically cleared, Falkenberg said.
The state said Thursday that county and local leadership, including from county offices of education, is foundational. “The state plan serves to supplement, not supplant, those efforts,” the Governor’s Office said.
To ensure communities throughout the state are prioritizing education workers, the state will true up local efforts to the 10 percent minimum through dedicated access to www.Myturn.ca.gov, the state’s vaccination scheduling app. Education workers will receive up to 75,000 single-use codes statewide to make an appointment to be vaccinated.
However, Public Health officials in Lake and other counties have reported issues with MyTurn regarding allowing out-of-county residents to get vaccination appointments locally, and the state has so far not said if it’s working to remedy those issues. Lake County Public Health has suspended use of the site, Pace said this week.
The Governor’s Office said vaccines will be directed to counties and school communities weighted by equity, including the proportion of students from low-income families, English learners and homeless youth.
Education workers will qualify for vaccine prioritization based on occupational health exposure – whether they are currently reporting or will imminently report in person.
For more information about safe returns to in-person instruction, please visit www.schools.covid19.ca.gov.
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State outlines plan to accelerate education workers’ access to COVID-19 vaccines; majority of Lake County educators vaccinated
- Elizabeth Larson
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