During California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s visit to an Alameda County vaccination clinic Friday morning, Newsom announced that 10% of the weekly allotment of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine supply will be allocated to educators.
Beginning March 1, the first round of doses will be reserved for educators, including teachers and child care workers, according to Newsom. The baseline will begin with at least 75,000 vaccine doses a week.
“We prioritize and have prioritized now for weeks the ability for counties, large and small, to prioritize vaccinations,” Newsom said during Friday’s press conference. “Not only for our teachers but for our educators — broadly defined, our classified employees.”
Additionally, Newsom noted that as of press time, the state has administered 6.9 million vaccines. He added the state’s total vaccine supply from the federal government will also increase to about 1.5 million per week in March.
The only constraint now, according to Newsom, is manufactured supply.
This announcement follows lengthy negotiations across the state on plans to physically reopen schools for in-person instruction.
On Tuesday, members from the Berkeley Unified School District, or BUSD, Board of Education and Berkeley Federation of Teachers announced a tentative agreement regarding the district’s reopening plans and the city of Berkeley’s vaccination schedule for educators.
“Online learning has proven to be a major challenge for kids and parents alike,” said Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín in a joint press release from the district and city. “We need to get Berkeley’s kids back into the classroom as quickly as possible, and this vaccination plan ensures that the safety of our educators will not be compromised in the process.”
The BUSD board spoke further on reopening plans at its Wednesday night meeting.