Local COVID clinics should not vaccinate the general public

The note said most clinics would be held later in March due to vaccine supply.

However, Gov. Ned Lamont said on Thursday that the state is expected to receive 30,000 Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccines next week if they are approved in the coming days by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Lamont said the state is receiving about 100,000 doses per week of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.

As Connecticut’s daily positivity rate fell to 2.1% and COVID-related hospitalizations dropped to 485 on Thursday, Lamont said the “vast majority” of school workers and child care professionals State children are expected to receive their first dose of the vaccine in March.

Breaking with federal guidelines this week, Lamont announced a new vaccination plan that focuses on age groups, but offers the option for those working in schools or daycares to get priority starting Monday. .

Those who will be eligible in both categories include a wide range of staff far beyond teachers and day educators. In schools, the list includes uncertified staff such as para-educators, as well as custodial and maintenance staff as well as security guards and bus drivers. In child care facilities, the list includes administrative workers who regularly work in person with children and parents, as well as those who transport children.

In the DPH memo, local health directors were asked to respond to a survey, asking if they can commit to vaccinating school workers and childcare professionals, how many doses they will need and the maximum number of first doses they can give each week in March. .

“Not all health services will need to serve as the primary vaccinator – education and child care facilities can work with hospitals or other vaccinators, or allow their staff to go to clinics open to the public, ”the memo reads.

Maura Fitzgerald, a spokesperson for DPH, said each school district is working with its local health department to formulate a plan to immunize staff, teachers and educators.

“So the vaccination plan will be different from city to city and district to district,” she said.

Fitzgerald said DPH will ensure that every local health department or vaccination site “has an adequate supply of vaccines to offer clinics throughout March.”

Staff in private and parochial schools will also be eligible for the vaccine under the plan, according to DPH. A spokeswoman for the Catholic School System for the Diocese of Bridgeport said employees were registered in January through the federal vaccine administration management system. Some have already been vaccinated, while others are waiting to make an appointment, the spokeswoman said.

While people aged 55 to 64, in addition to school workers and childcare professionals are set to become eligible on Monday, frontline workers in the state and people with health problems. underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk of complications from COVID continue to express their frustration at being left behind.

An online petition, calling on the state to prioritize these groups, garnered more than 600 signatures on Thursday evening.

Members of the governor’s vaccine advisory group, including some who served on the allocation subcommittee tasked with determining who should get the vaccine first, also said they were blinded by Lamont’s decision to change the state immunization priority.

Coronavirus in Connecticut

Lamont said Thursday he tried to base the state’s deployment plan on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but said the diseases on the list meant about two-thirds of the Connecticut’s population would be eligible at the same time.

The CDC guidelines prioritize essential workers and people with high-risk health conditions after focusing on healthcare workers and those living in long-term care facilities.

Citing CDC figures, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said the state’s age-based approach indirectly targets people with this high-risk medical condition. 19 more COVID-related deaths were reported as of Thursday, bringing the death toll in Connecticut to 7,614.

“Seventy-five percent of people who have co-morbidities and health problems are people 55 and older,” Bysiewicz said. “If you vaccinate 55 years and over, you will cover 75% of the population with comorbid problems.”

Disability Rights Connecticut has filed a complaint with the US Department of Health and Human Services, saying the state’s new immunization plans “constitute discrimination on the basis of disability.” The complaint calls on the HHS Office of Civil Rights to order the state to “revise its COVID-19 vaccination policy to prioritize the inclusion of people with underlying medical conditions, regardless of age, who have a increased risk of COVID-19 infection ”. for the vaccine.

Lamont said he had been “informed” of the filing. But he said the complaint was directed against the wrong entity, citing the CDC’s list, which does not include people with intellectual or physical disabilities.

The school and daycare workers who will be eligible fall into four main categories, but generally only include those who work in person. School board members are not included.

Here is the list from the State Department of Public Health:

Certified staff

Classroom teachers PK-12 (including DSAP and LTS)

Support specialists for students and educators – Special education, school counselors, social workers, speech therapists, school psychologists.

School nurses

Building and central office administrators

Certified non-class personnel; Content Area Coaches, Department Directors, Curriculum Specialists, Technology Specialists

Non-certified teaching staff

Para-educators

Tutors

Interventionists

Behavior specialists

Contract Support Specialists – BCBA, Speeches

District / building substitutes

Candidates in training as trainees, tutors / substitutes / student teachers

Non-certified support staff

Guard and maintenance staff

Food service staff

Administrative office staff (building and central office in schools)

Security personnel

Office helpers and nurses

Library / media center support staff (if not certified)

IT staff

Sports trainers and extracurricular counselors (if not certified)

LEA bus / van drivers and private companies

Substitute teachers

Volunteers at school

Childcare professionals

Daycare teachers, teaching assistants, paraprofessionals

Administrative staff in direct contact with parents and children.

Program support staff who have regular face-to-face contact with the children

Childcare transport professionals

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“Their real frustration should be with the CDC,” he said.