Educators and child care employees are poised to become a COVID-19 vaccination priority for Rhode Island, which raises a question for everyone else in line.
Given the still-limited supply of vaccine, is it possible the state has too many prioritized groups?
Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s promise that educators will be a priority for the vaccine now that he is governor got a boost recently from President Joe Biden, who said he wanted states to get teachers vaccinated by the end of March.
But in the list of groups waiting for those first doses, Rhode Island also has people who have significant health issues such as diabetes and cancer that could make them more vulnerable to the virus, as well as residents of communities in Providence and Pawtucket that have experienced disproportionate illnesses and hospitalizations in the pandemic.
The state is still struggling to reach them, according to R.I. Department of Health data released on March 3. Vaccine deployment in hard-hit communities has reached only a fraction of the population.
The education workforce, including child care employees, numbers more than 16,000 in Rhode Island.
Where will they fit in the mix, and is it fair?
‘There are no perfect decisions in this.’
GARY SASSE, Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership founding director
One person who thinks it is time for teachers, given the recent increase in vaccine supply, is Gary Sasse, founding director of the Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership at Bryant University.
There is growing concern that children are falling behind academically, he said.
“We’re not dealing with absolutes,” Sasse said. “There are no perfect decisions in this. What would have been an inappropriate decision two months ago, you have to view differently when X percentage of older people, or people considered most vulnerable, have the vaccine.”
Others are concerned the state is once again moving to an employment-based focus that is more cumbersome to administer.
In a statement, Kathleen Connell, the state director for AARP Rhode Island, said its members are concerned about the disruption in the planned order. “We share our members’ concerns when changes made in the state plan disrupt what was once promised as being age-prioritized,” she said.
Other observers see it as “good politics” on the part of McKee, who supported charter schools, which are unpopular among public school teachers.
“Gearing up for what looks to be a potentially tough primary battle for the nomination for governor in 2022, he will need key allies, or at the very least, not to make enemies of such a strong force in Democratic politics in Rhode Island,” said Wendy J. Schiller, Brown University political science professor.
Early in the vaccination planning, educators were to be included in phase two, after health care workers, nursing homes and people aged 75 or older. That idea was scrapped as the state moved to a system based on age, health condition and geography.
McKee, who has long advocated for teachers to be prioritized, said in January that he never meant to displace people who were older and more vulnerable to the virus.
He had not released specifics of his new plan, as of March 3.
But he spoke recently with Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, whose state started vaccinating teachers on March 1. He said he would review that plan, as well as one in Massachusetts, set to begin March 11.
On March 3, McKee noted that CVS Health Corp. had already adjusted its eligibility to allow teachers and educators to register for the vaccine at its pharmacies, in line with what Biden recommended. “We need to make sure that is a top priority right now,” he said.
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.
