HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf and members of the COVID-19 Vaccine Joint Task Force are making the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine available to all public and private school teachers, staff, and administration members in Pennsylvania.
Gov. Wolf said they expect 94,000 doses of the vaccine during the first week of availability.
All school employees are eligible for the vaccines.
To quickly get the vaccine into educators’ arms, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the departments of Education and Health are partnering with the 28 Intermediate Units (IUs) to establish vaccine sites. The Pennsylvania National Guard and AMI Expeditionary Healthcare (AMI) will administer the vaccine.
Each IU region will have at least one vaccination location, with most locations starting vaccinations between March 10 and 13.
"We're basically saying the teachers, we want you to get back to teaching, and if we've offered it to you, the state can't force the school districts. They're independent and make their own decisions. The deal with teachers is that we need them to get back to school, and if you've been offered a vaccine, you ought to be willing to go back to school," said Gov. Wolf.
The governor said that everyone else who is eligible in phase 1A will continue to get the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. That includes those 65 and older and those with certain medical conditions.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday directed states to prioritize vaccinating all teachers for COVID-19 during the month of March and announced that the federal government will help in the effort through its partnership with retail pharmacies.
Biden said his goal is for every pre-kindergarten through 12th grade educator, school staff member, and child care worker to receive at least one shot by the end of March.
Shipments of a few million doses to be divided among states could begin as early as Monday. By the end of March, J&J has said it expects to deliver 20 million doses to the U.S., and 100 million by summer, according to the AP.