April 29, 2021
As COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the nation, teachers, parents and child care providers find themselves emerging, at least temporarily, from an emotional roller coaster where politicians and parents have weighed in on where their place in the vaccine line should be. Now, 80 percent of all teachers and providers have received at least one shot; however, with many of the kids in their care likely not eligible to receive the vaccine until at least next year, the sense of safety is still tentative.
While all Californians 16 and older are now eligible to receive the vaccine, supplies were scarce just a few short months ago, prompting health and government leaders to make decisions as to who should be prioritized. Given the strain that remote schooling has had on parents, students and teachers, many, including The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wanted teachers and child care providers to be high on the eligibility list.
When President Joe Biden took office in January, he made reopening schools part of his agenda during the first 100 days in office. However, the White House and even Dr. Anthony Fauci insisted that schools could, and should, safely reopen without vaccinating teachers. But with vaccines so close on the horizon for many teachers, the push to reopen without teachers getting vaccinated became a flashpoint.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom insisted that schools could safely reopen without teachers getting vaccinated, despite the California Teachers Association insisting in January that all teachers should get vaccinated before schools reopen. At one point, Newsom publicly clashed with the Association of California School Administrators, saying, “If everybody has to be vaccinated, we might as well just tell people the truth: There will be no in-person instruction in the state of California.”
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Austin Beutner, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest district in the nation, came down on the side of teachers, insisting that at least 25,000 LAUSD teachers have the option to receive the vaccine before schools reopen.
The clash between teachers and politicians began to shift in February as calls for schools to reopen grew. Newsom announced that 10 percent of the state’s vaccine allocation would be set aside for teachers and child care providers starting in March. Soon after, the Biden administration called on states to prioritize teachers and child care providers, hoping it would hasten the reopening of schools. Then shortly into March, Newsom granted Beutner’s request for 25,000 doses specifically allotted for LAUSD teachers.
As the conversation around reopening schools garnered the majority of the nation’s attention, some child care providers, many of whom had remained open throughout the pandemic, had to fight for access to the vaccine in some states. While providers in California were made eligible alongside teachers, thanks in part to the voices of legislators, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington, D.C. placed providers lower on the priority list. In March, however, when the Biden Administration insisted teachers be prioritized, child care providers were also included.
As of this writing, many schools have reopened, child care providers have received the vaccine, and vaccine trails for children are underway. The story of the COVID-19 vaccine’s impact on schools and child care centers evolves daily, however. Although teachers and providers getting vaccinated constitute a large step forward, it is unclear how the large-scale reopening of schools will unfold while students remain unvaccinated for the remainder of the year. However, early evidence suggests that, with the appropriate safety standards, the risk of transmission should remain minimal.
To help our readers stay up to date with the many turns of this emerging story, we have compiled a library of article links below.
- Teachers, Reopening of Schools and the Vaccine
- California and School Reopening
- Los Angeles, UTLA and Austin Beutner, Reopening becomes Contingent on Vaccines
- Child Care Providers and the Vaccine
- Kids and Vaccines
- Opinion Pieces about Vaccines
Teachers, Reopening of Schools and the Vaccine
U.S. News & World Report: No Vaccine, No School?
School and public health officials weigh what it will take to reopen schools and some say requiring a coronavirus vaccine may be just a matter of time. (Camerz, 12/11/20)
The New York Times: If Teachers Get the Vaccine Quickly, Can Students Get Back to School?
Teachers’ unions largely support plans to put educators near the front of the line, but given availability and logistics, that might not be enough to open more schools in the spring. (Shapiro & Hubler, 12/16/20)
USA Today: Can a shot reopen schools? Teachers should be next in COVID-19 vaccine schedule, CDC says
Teachers should be among the essential workers next in line for a COVID-19 vaccine, an advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended last week. (Aspegren, 1/1/21)
The 74: Parent Poll: Vaccine ‘Absolutely Necessary’ for Sending Kids Back to Classrooms; 6 in 10 Will Immunize Their Children
Parents say making a COVID-19 vaccine available to the public is “absolutely necessary” for them to feel safe returning their children to classrooms, and a majority will have their kids vaccinated, according to a new poll by the National Parents Union. (Hawkins, 1/6/21)
The Washington Post: Pressure builds on schools to reopen during pandemic
Pressure is building on school systems around the U.S. to reopen classrooms to students who have been learning online for nearly a year, pitting politicians against teachers who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19. (Kunzelman & Ramer, 2/2/21)
NPR: Public School Teachers Weigh In On Vaccines, Masks And Returning To The Classroom
This week, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to release new guidelines about how schools can reopen safely, three public school teachers weigh in: Mike Reinholdt of Davenport, Iowa; Maxie Hollingsworth of Houston, Texas; and Pam Gaddy of Baltimore, Md. (2/10/21)
CBS News: Biden School Reopening Guidance Expected To Focus On COVID Mitigation, Rather Than Teacher Vaccination
The Biden administration’s guidance on how schools can “safely open” will come from multiple federal agencies and departments, according to several people familiar with the plan. (Cook, 2/10/21)
The New York Times: We Asked 175 Pediatric Disease Experts If It Was Safe Enough To Open School
Many of the common preconditions to opening schools — including vaccines for teachers or students, and low rates of infection in the community — are not necessary to safely teach children in person, a consensus of pediatric infectious disease experts said in a new survey. (Miller, Sanger-Katz and Quealy, 2/11/21)
CNN: Biden Says Teachers Should Move Up In Priority To Receive Covid-19 Vaccine
President Joe Biden said during a CNN town hall Tuesday that teachers should be moved higher on the list of those who are getting vaccinated against Covid-19. “I think that we should be vaccinating teachers. We should move them up in the hierarchy,” he said. (Maxouris, 2/17/21)
The Hill: White House Says Teacher Vaccinations Not Required For Schools To Reopen
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that vaccinating teachers is not a requirement for reopening schools for in-person learning. “Neither the president nor the vice president believe that it is a requirement,” Psaki said at a briefing when asked whether teachers need to be vaccinated before they return to school. (Chalfant, 2/17/21)
The Hill: Fauci: ‘Non-Workable’ To Get Every Teacher Vaccinated To Reopen Schools
Anthony Fauci, a medical adviser to President Biden and the government’s leading infectious diseases expert, poured cold water on the prospect of every teacher getting vaccinated for the coronavirus before schools reopen.(Axelrod, 2/17/21)
Also in Politico (Leonard, 2/17/21)
The Washington Post: White House Reiterates Teacher Vaccinations ‘Not A Prerequisite’ To Reopening Schools
The White House on Sunday reiterated that teachers do not need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus before schools can reopen, a stance Biden administration officials say is in line with scientific guidelines but that puts them at odds with some teachers unions that have insisted members will not return to the classroom until they receive the vaccine. (Wang & Whoriskey, 2/21/21)
CNBC: President Joe Biden Urges States To Vaccinate Teachers, School Staff This Month
President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged states to prioritize vaccinating teachers and school staff against Covid-19, with the goal of administering at least one shot to every educator and staff member across the country by the end of March. (Feuer, 3/2/21)
Also in Reuters (Shalal, 3/2/21) NPR (Wise, 3/2/21), The Washington Post (Meckler, 3/2/21) and MSNBC (Maddow, 3/2/21)
The New York Times: Biden Administration Steps Up Push For School Reopenings
Having told educators that they would soon be vaccinated, the Biden administration began an aggressive push on Wednesday to drum up support for reopening schools. (Rogers and Green, 3/3/21)
The Washington Post: Biden Announces Plan To Make Coronavirus Vaccine More Available To Teachers
In school systems where classrooms remain shuttered, or where children may only attend school once or twice a week, President Biden hopes his move to press states into prioritizing teachers for coronavirus vaccination will help them move toward normalcy. (Balingit, Meckler and St. George, 3/3/21)
Also in Axios (Owens, 3/3/21)
The New York Times: All U.S. States Are Now Offering Vaccines To Teachers
As of Monday, all K-12 educators nationwide are officially eligible to be vaccinated against Covid-19, though the situation is more straightforward in some states than others. (3/9/21)
The Hill: Biden Education Chief: Vaccines Will Likely Not Be Mandatory For Teachers
President Biden’s Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Wednesday that vaccines will likely not be mandatory for teachers in order to reopen schools. (Lonas, 3/17/21)
NBC News: Education Secretary Cardona Says Expanding Testing, Vaccines Will Help Keep Schools Open
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said Wednesday that making sure educators are vaccinated is the top priority to keep schools open for children and teens. (Clark and Richardson, 3/17/21)
EdWeek: Do Teachers Have to Disclose Their Vaccination Status? Experts Weigh In
Nationally, there are little data on teacher vaccination rates, and that’s partially because many school districts have not been keeping track of which of their employees have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine. District leaders also say they are wary of violating their employees’ privacy. (Will, 3/24/21)
The New York Times: About 80 Percent Of K-12 Teachers And Staff Have Gotten A Vaccine Dose
Nearly 80 percent of school staff and child care workers in the United States have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Tuesday. (4/7/21)
California and School Reopening
EdSource: Some California Teachers and Staff to Receive COVID-19 Vaccines Beginning This Week
In an effort to accelerate what has widely been considered a slow rollout of vaccines, California officials urged health care providers last Thursday to complete vaccinating medical workers and to move on to the next phase, which would include child care workers, elementary and secondary school personnel and staff at community colleges, universities and trade schools. (Lambert, 1/11/2021)
CALMatters: Educators, food workers join California’s priority list for vaccines
Beginning in mid-February, some essential workers will be eligible for vaccines under new standards announced today. Then, the next priority group will be based on age, likely people 50+, not health conditions. (Ostrov, 1/26/21)
Also featured in EdSource (Ostrov, 1/26/21)
EdSource: California teachers union wants schools in ‘purple’ counties to stay closed for 100 days; vaccinations for staff
“We need a clear and coordinated state, county and local plan that puts the health and safety of our communities first and does not take shortcuts toward the path of opening schools in person,” stated union leaders in a letter to Newsom Wednesday. (Lambert, 1/29/20)
Los Angeles Times: Possible deal over teacher vaccines could bring elementary students back to class
More California elementary school students could begin returning to their classrooms by the spring if Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers settle their differences over when teachers and staff receive COVID-19 vaccinations, an agreement the governor suggested Monday could be reached in the next few days. (Blume, Luna, & Myers, 2/9/21)
CalMatters: Teacher vaccines in California determined by location, luck
Vaccinating teachers has become a central sticking point in talks between districts and unions for returning students in person. Limited vaccine supply and a rapidly approaching end of the school year could threaten some reopening plans. (Cano, 2/9/21)
NPR: California Will Begin Setting Aside 10% Of COVID-19 Vaccine Doses For Teachers
California is planning to start setting aside 10% of the COVID-19 vaccine the state receives each week to vaccinate teachers, day care workers and other school employees in the hopes of getting more students back in the classroom. (Stein, 2/20/21)
Also in The Hill (Axelrod, 2/19/21)
Los Angeles Times: Biden faces California roadblock in school reopening push
President Biden’s push to reopen schools nationwide could become bogged down in California, where powerful unions are demanding teachers receive COVID-19 vaccinations before returning to the classroom. (Megerian, 2/10/21)
ABC News: California Gov. Gavin Newsom On Reopening Schools, ‘We Can Do This Now’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has said he supported schools safely reopening, advocated for doors opening immediately during an interview with ABC News Sunday, saying, “At the end of the day, we can do this now as we administer more doses. Yes, prioritizing our teachers, more vaccines in people’s arms.” (Shah, 2/22/21)
The Los Angeles Times: Newsom Touts Long Beach As COVID Model For Vaccines, Schools
Speaking from a vaccination site at the Long Beach Convention Center, Newsom vowed to press forward with plans to vaccinate educators, reopen schools and refocus on hard-hit communities. Long Beach, which has its own public health department, separate from L.A. County’s, began vaccinating teachers in January and has announced plans to reopen schools for its youngest students March 29. (Smith and Lin II, 2/22/21)
Capital & Main: Vaccine Distribution Key Element In Gov. Newsom’s Plan To Reopen Schools
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest attempt to change the conversation around classroom reopenings, a bill passed by the state Legislature last week, is a classic carrot-and-stick approach to the state’s 1,037 school districts. (Kreidler, 3/10/21)
Los Angeles, UTLA and Austin Beutner, Reopening becomes Contingent on Vaccines
POLITICO: L.A. schools chief wants to launch California’s largest teacher vaccine effort
Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Austin Beutner is calling on state and local health officials to immediately allow the district to turn its more than 1,400 schools into Covid-19 vaccination sites, focusing on shots for teachers and school staff in what would become California’s biggest education vaccine push. (Mays, 1/18/21)
Also featured in L.A. Daily News (Tat, 1/18/21)
Los Angeles Times: Los Angeles schools to remain in hard shutdown for near future, Beutner says
Los Angeles schools will delay in-person student classes and services of any kind while coronavirus infection rates remain high in local communities and teachers remain unvaccinated, Supt. Austin Beutner said Monday, a firm stance that is driving the district toward a mandatory summer session and an extended academic year in 2021-22. (Blume, 2/1/21)
LAist: Alhambra Teachers Say They Need Vaccines To Safely Return To The Classroom
Local educators are pushing back on schools reopening, arguing the state has not yet done enough to prioritize the health and safety of teachers and students. (Denkmann, 2/8/21)
LAist: Youngest Kids Could Return To Classrooms With More Staff Vaccinations
L.A. Unified School District campuses could reopen for 250,000 elementary school students if 25,000 principals, teachers, and other staff are vaccinated, Superintendent Austin Beutner said in his weekly address on Monday. (Staff, 2/8/21)
The Los Angeles Times: L.A. elementary schools rapidly approach reopening threshold, but teacher vaccines lacking
Based on current trends, elementary schools will be eligible to reopen in Los Angeles County quicker than vaccines will be made available to teachers, L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer told school leaders Tuesday. (Blume, 2/10/21)
The Los Angeles Times: L.A. County teachers, essential workers could begin getting COVID-19 vaccine within weeks, officials say
Some Los Angeles County teachers, food workers and first responders could begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations in two to three weeks — a major step as the populous region works to ramp up its immunization rollout. (Lin II, Money, & Dolan, 2/10/21)
The Los Angeles Times: Pricey Los Angeles private school moves ahead of others for teacher vaccinations
The Wesley School, a private academy in North Hollywood, has been able to get COVID-19 vaccinations for its teachers through what an announcement described as a “special program,” despite current Los Angeles County health department rules that say teachers are not yet eligible. (Blume, 2/10/21)
The Los Angeles Times: L.A. School Reopening Contingent On Teacher Vaccinations
Los Angeles schools Supt. Austin Beutner on Tuesday presented a plan to the school board for reopening campuses that includes the full period needed for employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, delaying the return of elementary students to early April at best. (Blume, 2/24/21)
The Hill: Poll: Majority Say Teachers Should Be Vaccinated Before Reopening Schools
A majority of adults, 59 percent, support waiting to reopen K-12 schools until all teachers who want a coronavirus vaccine have received a dose, according to a report from the Pew Research Center released on Wednesday. (Choi, 2/24/21)
The Los Angeles Times: L.A. Unified will get 40% of school staff vaccine doses in effort to target neediest areas
Forty percent of coronavirus vaccines available for school staff in Los Angeles County will go to the L.A. Unified School District through a new distribution formula designed to help reopen campuses sooner in areas hardest hit by the pandemic and student learning loss. (Blume, 2/25/21)
LA Daily News: LA County Unveils Plan To Vaccinate Teachers, Other Essential Workers, Starting March 1
Teachers in Los Angeles County can begin receiving the coronavirus vaccine on Monday, March 1 — but just how many doses will be available for educators will depend on supply, which is still just an estimate. (Rosenfeld, 2/24/21)
Los Angeles Times: Teacher COVID Vaccines Target LAUSD, Needy Areas
Forty percent of coronavirus vaccines available for school staff in Los Angeles County will go to the L.A. Unified School District through a new distribution formula designed to help reopen campuses sooner in areas hardest hit by the pandemic and student learning loss. (Blume, 2/25/21)
LA Daily News: LAUSD Parents Want Special Ed Teachers – Especially Those Eligible For Vaccines – Back On Campus
In the ongoing debate over how soon educators should return to in-person work, some Los Angeles Unified parents are fuming over the revelation that certain employees who work with special education students have been eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations since January but have yet to provide in-person services to some of the district’s most vulnerable students. (Tat, 2/24/21)
The Los Angeles Times: LAUSD to get enough staff vaccines to reopen elementary schools; union talks continue
The Los Angeles school district will get the COVID-19 vaccines it needs by the end of next week to inoculate staff and reopen its elementary schools, according to an official in the administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Blume, 3/1/21)
LA Daily News: LAUSD To Receive Extra Vaccine Doses, Keeping Alive Hope Of Reopening Elementary Schools In April
Gov. Gavin Newsom has agreed to set aside 25,000 additional COVID-19 vaccine doses over the next two weeks for Los Angeles Unified school employees, Superintendent Austin Beutner said Monday, March 1, in an announcement that keeps alive the superintendent’s hope of reopening elementary schools in April. (Tat, 3/1/21)
The Los Angeles Daily News: LAUSD works to persuade parents it’s safe on campus; less than half sending kids back, survey says
The district hopes to open additional school-based vaccination sites for families in the coming weeks. (Tat, 3/29/21)
The Los Angeles Times: COVID Vaccines, Testing Critical To L.A. Schools Reopening
The complex logistics of awakening 1,400 Los Angeles schools are reaching a crescendo this week with officials especially focused on safety — announcing plans to open 25 community vaccination centers and urging all returning families to sign their students up for mandatory coronavirus testing. (Blume, 4/5/21)
Child Care Providers and the Vaccine
The Sacramento Bee: Child care workers should be prioritized for COVID vaccines, lawmakers tell Gavin Newsom
As he holes up in a room in his house, quarantining from the rest of his family after a potential COVID-19 exposure, Gov. Gavin Newsom joked that he feels like a “full-time red carpet concierge” for people who want to know when they can get a coronavirus vaccine. (Sheeler, 12/21/20)
EdSurge: Hailed as ‘Heroes,’ Child Care Workers in Some States Are Denied Vaccine Priority
For months, they have been labeled “essential workers,” celebrated for their sacrifices and hailed as heroes for their role in keeping the country going in the face of a deadly pandemic. (Tate, 1/21/21)
LAist: What LA Child Care Providers Need to Know About Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine
With the exception of Long Beach, most L.A.-area child care workers under 65 aren’t eligible to be vaccinated yet. L.A. and Orange counties and the city of Pasadena — which has its own health department — will include providers in the next eligible group, but with an uncertain supply, it’s hard to say whether it will be days or weeks before they’ll be able to sign up for appointments. (Dale, 2/4/21)
Vox: Child care workers are getting left behind in the vaccine rollout
They’ve been caring for America’s kids throughout the pandemic. Now many can’t get vaccinated. (North, 2/15/21)
The Nation: In Some States, Child Care Workers Won’t Get the Covid Vaccine for Months
Even though child care is vital to the economic recovery, several states aren’t granting child care workers priority access to the vaccine. (Covert, 2/17/21)
LAist: What LA Child Care Providers Need to Know About Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine
Child care providers, many of whom have never stopped caring for children during the coronavirus pandemic, have been anxiously awaiting their turn for the COVID-19 vaccine. Starting March 1, they can sign up. (Dale, 2/26/21)
Also seen in The Los Angeles Times (Wigglesworth, King, & Megerian, 2/28/21)
ABC News: Teachers, child care staff nationwide can now sign up for vaccine shots under Biden’s order
Teachers and child care staff are now being offered vaccine appointments at some 9,000 pharmacy locations nationwide, even if their state hasn’t declared them eligible yet. (Flaherty, 3/3/21)
LAist: Rising Demand For Child Care Rests On Providers Getting Vaccinated. How’s That Going?
We don’t know how many child care workers under 65 have been vaccinated since they became eligible on March 1, but the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles previously estimated the county’s early education workforce at 100,000. (Dale, 4/1/21)
Kids and Vaccine
WebMD: Pediatricians: Let Kids Be Part of Vaccine Trials
Tuesday, December 15, 2020 (Kaiser News) — If clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines aren’t expanded soon to include children, it’s unlikely that even kids in their teens will be vaccinated in time for the next school year. (Allen, 12/15/20)
Roll Call: Pediatricians want kids to be part of COVID-19 vaccine trials
Debate centers on how much harm COVID-19 causes children and to what extent they spread the coronavirus. (Allen, 12/16/20)
U.S. News & World Report: Will Children Be Able to Get COVID-19 Vaccines?
COVID-19 vaccinations have started in the U.S., but children won’t be able to get them until there’s enough study data showing the shots are safe and effective for younger ages as well. (12/17/20)
The New York Times: What Pediatricians Say Can’t Wait
As we celebrate the rollout of the new Covid-19 vaccines, don’t forget the standard immunizations and other steps to keep children safe. (Klass, 12/21/20)
NPR: Researchers Study Whether COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe For Children
Research is underway to determine if children should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. NPR’s Noel King talks to Dr. Roberta DiBiasi of Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. (12/22/20)
NBC Los Angeles: Moderna Doesn’t Expect Covid Vaccine Data for Young Children Until 2022, CEO Says
Moderna has already begun a study testing the vaccine in adolescents as young as 12, and CEO Stephane Bancel expects that study will be done by the time the fall semester starts in September. (Lovelace, 1/11/21)
U.S. News & World Report: LA Schools Chief: Kids Must Get Coronavirus Vaccine to Return
The admission marks the first acknowledgement from the head of a major school system that the coronavirus vaccine is likely headed to the list of required school immunizations. (Camera, 1/12/21)
Also featured in KTLA (1/11/21)
CapRadio: Amid Surges, Teachers Line Up For Their Vaccines
Per federal vaccination guidelines, school personnel — including custodians, food service workers, and bus drivers — along with child care providers, are in category 1b, just after the elderly in long-term care facilities and health care workers. (Kamenetz, 1/13/21)
WebMD: Moderna Needs More Kids for COVID Vaccine Trials
Moderna probably will not have clinical trial results anytime soon on how its COVID-19 vaccine affects children and adolescents, according to the company CEO and a federal official. (1/14/21)
Bloomberg: Covid Trials For Kids Get Underway With First Results By Summer
The University of Oxford, which developed a vaccine with AstraZeneca Plc, is planning initial tests in 12- to 18-year-olds next month. (Ring and Griffin, 1/19/2021)
The Atlantic: The U.S. Likely Can’t Reach Herd Immunity Without Vaccinating Kids
Even though kids rarely get very ill from COVID-19, pediatricians say there is a good case for vaccinating them. (Zhang, 1/21/21)
The Washington Post: Fauci sees vaccination for kids by late spring or the summer
The government’s top infectious disease expert said Friday he hopes to see some kids starting to get vaccinated for COVID-19 in the next few months. It’s a needed step to securing widespread immunity to the virus. (Alonso-Zaldivar & Superville, 1/29/21)
CNET: You can get the COVID-19 vaccine, but kids can’t. Why not, and when they might
Coronavirus vaccines have been authorized for most people, but so far none for children. Here’s what’s happening. (Smith, 1/30/21)
The Sacramento Bee: Will kids soon have to get COVID-19 vaccines to attend California schools?
Teachers and school employee unions say vaccines for adults will be a major component of safely reopening schools.But what about the students? (Korte, 2/9/21)
The New York Times: Covid Vaccines for Kids Are Coming, but Not for Many Months
As adults at high risk for Covid-19 line up to be immunized against the coronavirus, many parents want to know: When will my child get a vaccine? The short answer: Not before late summer. (Mandavilli, 2/12/21)
The Washington Post: Oxford-AstraZeneca Begins A Vaccine Trial For Children. It’s The Youngest Group Yet To Be Tested.
Oxford University announced Friday it started testing its coronavirus vaccine in children as young as 6 in a move that expands coronavirus vaccine trials to the youngest age group yet. (Bellware, 2/13/21)
Fortune: What we know about kids and the COVID vaccine
American children and their families are still living in an era of largely class-from-home education. But that could begin to change in earnest in the next school year if kids can begin receiving COVID vaccine doses. (Mukherjee, 2/17/21)
New England Journal of Medicine: Vaccinating Children Against Covid-19 — The Lessons Of Measles
As the first SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are rolled out to the highest-risk groups, the current stage of the Covid-19 pandemic is pregnant with possibility. (Perri Klass, 2/18/21)
The Washington Post: Can We Reach Covid Herd Immunity Without Vaccinating Children?
Amid a race to vaccinate as many people as possible against the coronavirus, which has sickened more than 28 million people and killed about 500,000 in the United States, the 10-year-old son of a Washington Post reader posed a pertinent question — one even experts are struggling to answer with any real certainty. Is it possible for the United States to achieve herd immunity without vaccinating children? (Bever, 2/22/21)
EdWeek: Fauci’s Latest on Vaccines for Young Kids: Not Likely This Year
In a recent White House press briefing, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, walked back his comments from a ProPublica interview, published Feb. 11, in which he said he was hopeful that children as young as 1st grade would be able to start getting vaccinated in the fall. (Prothero, 2/22/21)
ABC News: COVID-19 Vaccine Testing On Children: What Scientists Want You To Know
Scientists and vaccine makers say studies are moving as quickly as possible to ensure the vaccines are safe and effective for the nation’s children. (Jamshidi, 2/26/21)
The New York Times: Johnson & Johnson has planned trials of its vaccine that will include infants.
Johnson & Johnson plans to test its coronavirus vaccine in infants and even in newborns, as well as in pregnant women and in people who have compromised immune systems. (Kolata, 2/28/21)
CNBC: Fauci: Covid Vaccine For Elementary School Children Likely Coming In 2022
Elementary school-aged children will likely be able to receive Covid-19 vaccinations early next year, Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. Fauci, the government’s leading epidemiologist, said that there are studies already underway studying vaccine safety for younger children. (Higgins, 2/28/21)
Also featured in Axios (Allassan, 2/28/21)
The Washington Post: When will children be able to get COVID-19 vaccines?
When will children be able to get COVID-19 vaccines? It depends on the child’s age, but some teenagers could be rolling up their sleeves before too long. (Renault, 3/4/21)
Axios: Moderna Begins Testing COVID Vaccine On Kids Aged 6 Months To 11 Years
Moderna announced Tuesday that it has begun testing its coronavirus vaccine on children ages six months to less than 12 years in a Phase 2/3 trial beginning in the U.S. and Canada. (3/16/21)
Also in The Wall Street Journal (Loftus, 3/16/21) The New York Times (Grady, 3/16/21), CNN (Bonifield, 3/16/21), Forbes (Rosenbaum, 3/16/21), CNBC (3/16/21)
The Washington Post: Sinovac says its vaccine is safe for children as young as 3
Sinovac said its COVID-19 vaccine is safe in children ages 3-17, based on preliminary data, and it has submitted the data to Chinese drug regulators. (Wu, 3/23/21)
Also in AP (Wu, 3/23/21)
CNN: When will kids and teens be vaccinated against Covid-19?
While there’s a chance that a vaccine will be available to high school and middle school-age children by this fall, younger children may still be months away from vaccination when the upcoming school year begins. (Mascarenhas, 3/23/21)
The Washington Post: Some parents won’t vaccinate their kids against covid. Here are their reasons.
They plan to focus on limiting their children’s exposure to the virus rather than bank on the safety of the vaccine. For some mothers we interviewed, that means keeping their children home from school and from child care for the foreseeable future. (Calarco, 3/29/21)
Axios: Adults Say Yes To The Vaccine — For Themselves, Not Their Kids
Just half of U.S. parents plan to get their children vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as they can, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index. (Talev, 4/6/21)
EdSource: Vaccines on tap for California’s children, but what do parents say?
Californians as young as 16 are next in line for the Covid-19 vaccine, potentially moving the state another step closer to reopening all schools for full-time in-person instruction. But whether vaccines help to reopen schools depends on whether parents are willing to get their children vaccinated. (Lambert, 4/7/21)
San Francisco Chronicle: Stanford Enrolls Children As Young As 2 In Pfizer Vaccine Trials
Stanford Medicine on Wednesday began administering shots to children ages 2 to 5 in a trial for the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, marking another step forward in getting younger children vaccinated. (Ho, 4/14/21)
Also in East Bay Times (Krieger, 4/15/21)
The Los Angeles Times: Stanford begins testing Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on children as young as 2
As statewide eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine expands to residents 16 and older, researchers at Stanford Medicine have set their sights on an even younger group: children ages 2 to 5. (Smith, 4/15/21)
Opinion Pieces about Vaccines
The 74: O’Leary & Justice: Denying Early Educators Priority for the COVID-19 Vaccine Devalues Our Children’s Most Important Teachers
In our home state of Ohio and at least four other states, early childhood educators sit on the sidelines while other workers deemed more essential, including K-12 teachers, line up for COVID-19 vaccination. (O’Leary & Justice, 1/27/21)
Motherly: Child care workers need to be moved to the front of the COVID vaccine line—immediately
Here’s the case for making child care workers a priority. (Scott, 1/28/21)
STAT: Kids don’t need Covid-19 vaccines to return to school
Here are five reasons why schools can and should open at 100% capacity before a vaccine for those under age 16 is available. (Prasad, 2/3/21)
The Los Angeles Times: Start Reopening California Schools. Now
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says schools can reopen safely even if teachers aren’t vaccinated. So does California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Southern California pediatricians are calling on Los Angeles-area schools to switch, now, to in-person learning. In other words, it is time to start reopening California schools. (Editorial Board, 2/5/21)
The Sacramento Bee: Reopening California schools is an equity issue — and teachers must be vaccinated
If California wants equity to play a role in its vaccination strategy, we must vaccinate teachers as quickly as possible. So far, state leaders and the powerful unions that represent school employees have disagreed on that point. (2/10/21)
The Los Angeles Times: If Opening Schools Means Vaccinating Teachers Now, Do It
Let’s not kid ourselves. Efforts by both Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office and state legislators to reopen schools by vaccinating teachers aren’t the result of science or even fairness. But with teachers nervous about returning to in-person classrooms and their powerful unions putting up a mighty fight, most schools aren’t going to open without vaccinating their staffs, so let’s get on with it. (Editorial Board, 2/23/21)
The New York Times: We Can’t End the Pandemic Without Vaccinating Kids
The United States’ coronavirus vaccine rollout has finally hit its stride, with well over two million doses administered daily. Soon, vaccines will be available to all adults who want them. Children are the next vaccination frontier. (Multiple Authors, 3/29/21)
The Washington Post: The case for vaccinating children for covid-19
As covid-19 vaccines become more accessible, the next big question will soon take center stage: Should kids be vaccinated? To understand why, here are some important data points to consider. (Makary & Saphier, 3/24/21)
