SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Schools in Sacramento County are preparing to take the next step in re-opening as educators in the county are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting Tuesday, Feb. 16.
Classrooms at Elk Grove Unified are still empty, but the days of virtual learning in Sacramento County are limited, says District Spokesperson Xanthi Sorianto.
“I can tell you about hundreds of teachers that are very excited about this,” explained Sorianto. "Several hundred have already signed up this week."
Teachers across Sacramento County’s 13 school districts are eligible for the vaccine. Sacramento County Public Health made the decision to vaccinate teachers last week following changes to state guidelines.
“The state has opened up eligibility for educators, childcare providers and others who work for schools, so we are now opening up that eligibly in Sacramento County,” Janna Haynes, Sacramento County Public Health, said.
Haynes added with more people eligible for the vaccine, supply issues are bound to happen.
"We will not have the supply to meet all the demand at this point,” Haynes said.
Health care workers and those 65 and older still need to be vaccinated. Haynes says the county will do what it can to distribute those vaccines to teachers.
"It will likely take months to get through all those vaccinations that are requested,” Haynes said.
In school reopening guidelines announced last week, the CDC said teachers don't need to be vaccinated before returning to in-person teaching. Elk Grove Unified plans on waiting to reopen until Sacramento County's infection rate drops back down to the red tier.
"The vaccination is only an additional mitigation to our existing plan,” explained Sorianto.
County Public Health says Nearly 19,000 vaccines are scheduled to arrive in Sacramento this week and that should help with vaccinating teachers.
In a press release last Friday, Sacramento County outlined who would be eligible.
Eligibility
At this time, individuals employed in Sacramento County who meet one of the criteria below are eligible to schedule an appointment to be vaccinated:
- All staff in preschool, elementary, middle, and high schools
- All formal and informal childcare workers, including day care providers
- Any other workers involved in child and/or student care, including school bus drivers and monitors, crosswalk guards, etc.
- All staff in educational support services and administration
“Vaccinations are an important layer of safety for our educators," said David W. Gordon, Sacramento County Superintendent of Schools. "We are grateful to Sacramento County Public Health for collaborating on an efficient system to get vaccinations to all of our staff members."
Due to the limited vaccine supply, colleges, universities, post-secondary education facilities, and technical and trade schools will become eligible at a future date.
Appointments will be required. SCPH will provide appointment portals directly to school districts and childcare providers to assist with appointment scheduling.
For more information about COVID-19, vaccines and testing, visit the Sacramento County COVID-19 Website.
