Most counties still not vaccinating teachers, survey says

Most counties in California have not yet begun vaccinating teachers and school staff against Covid-19, despite efforts to move them higher on the state’s eligibility list, according to a survey of county superintendents.

Gov. Gavin Newsom moved teachers up on the state’s vaccination eligibility list twice in January, a month after announcing an ambitious plan to reopen some schools as early as February.

Despite that, a survey by the California County Superintendents Educational Services Association given on Jan. 26 shows that only 14 counties, mostly rural, are vaccinating school staff. Forty-eight of the state’s county superintendents answered the survey.

Most of the superintendents — 26 — said that while vaccinations hadn’t started in their county there were plans to do so. Eight superintendents said that there were no plans or timeline in place to vaccinate teachers in their counties.

Vaccination clinics in five of the counties where teachers are being vaccinated are at schools, according to the survey. That could change in the future. About 40% of the county superintendents who answered the survey indicated there are plans to use school campuses, including a few college campuses, to vaccinate school staff in their counties. Several others said they would be willing to use school sites if asked.

Only two of the counties already vaccinating teachers are using school staff to give shots, but more than a dozen counties waiting to begin teacher vaccinations would be willing to use school personnel to vaccinate school staff, according to the superintendents surveyed.

A few superintendents cited liability concerns or a lack of school nurses for not using school staff, while others said county health departments are administering the vaccines.

Some of the county superintendents surveyed expressed frustration about the lack of vaccines and the wide disparities between counties when it comes to who gets priority for vaccinations. County health departments generally make decisions about who gets priority for vaccinations and where vaccine clinics will be located, although they often coordinate with school districts when it comes to employee vaccinations.