McKee says teachers and people 65 and older should get vaccine priority

The vaccine subcommittee of the R.I. Department of Health has discussed alternatives for Phase 2, including this proposal that would emphasize age and health conditions.

PROVIDENCE — Lt. Gov. Dan McKee on Tuesday clarified his position on where teachers and other educators should fall in the lineup to receive the COVID-19 vaccines, saying that although they should be included in the second phase of distribution, they shouldn’t be ahead of people age 65 or older, or those with health conditions that put them at risk.

His recent comments on the subject had not been accurately reported, McKee told Providence Business News in an interview.

“I thought the educators would be prioritized for many reasons that are fully attached to the economy and other purposes,” said McKee. “I also said they would not be stepping over the groups that have been established as the first priority. So, right now, to move up teachers, where they weren’t in the second phase, or whatever it might be, just makes sense to me.”

The important thing for people to remember, is that the current distribution is going to be sped up as the state gains more vaccine supplies. “This thing is going to get ratcheted up,” he said. “This is the time to be preparing for that.”

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Once Gov. Gina M. Raimondo is confirmed, as expected, to become the U.S. Commerce secretary, McKee will become Rhode Island’s next governor.

On the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, he is working closely with the R.I. Department of Health, his spokeswoman said.

That distribution plan, now being revised for Phase 2 priority groups, has been the source of anger, frustration and resentment across the state for several weeks. Rhode Island remains in Phase 1 of its distribution and will be for several more weeks because it continues to receive a relatively small portion of vaccines each week, about 14,000 doses.

The planning for Phase 2 distribution, which could start sometime in late February or March, is what is now being discussed. The R.I. Department of Health plans to release its plan Thursday, a spokesman said.

Last week, as part of a revised approach, its vaccine advisory subcommittee talked about moving teachers, and other people identified by profession, out of Phase 2. Instead, the second phase would be age-based and condition-based, starting with people 65 and older and those with health issues that put them at risk for severe COVID-19. Which health conditions would be included is also still being discussed by the committee.

But the fallout from the revision that removed references to teachers and other educators in Phase 2, was immediate. At the vaccine subcommittee Zoom conference, people who identified as teachers left angry comments in the chat box.

Over the weekend, McKee made his public statements about including teachers in Phase 2.

The reaction continued this week. Robert Walsh, executive director of the National Education Association Rhode Island chapter, the state’s largest union for teachers and other educators, said Tuesday that teachers only want what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended states do — put teachers in line along with other essential workers to receive the vaccine because they have public-facing jobs and are interacting with students.

He took exception to comments made by R.I. Department of Health Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, who said that there was no science basis for young teachers to receive vaccinations.

“For the first time, she’s differentiating within a profession based on age, when we don’t do that for first-responders, or for healthcare workers, or anything else. That is not what the recommendations of the CDC say.”

Meanwhile, legislators are weighing in with their frustration at the state’s communication of the rollout and the vaccine distribution.

On Monday, Rep. Justine Caldwell, D-East Greenwich, chastised the state for poor communication with senior residents, many of whom are calling their doctors and who have no idea when they will be vaccinated. She cited reports that board members of the hospitals and municipal leaders were getting their inoculations. “Images of municipal leaders receiving the vaccine when front-line workers have not, have made people think who you know is more important than what you need,” she wrote.

Other legislators have pointed out that the state has not been clear about who is really getting the vaccines. That nonfrontline workers in the hospital systems run by Lifespan and Care New England have received their shots drew the ire of Rep. Anastasia P. Williams, D-Providence, who called it an example of privilege in society. “The people that are truly suffering are unable to work from home, or have virtual meetings or isolate from their patrons, co-workers or family members who have contracted this virus,” she wrote.

Legislative leadership has also distanced itself from any suggestion that lawmakers should be prioritized for vaccination. Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio and House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi released a joint statement.

“It is vitally important that the elderly and other vulnerable Rhode Islanders are prioritized for vaccinations. These are the Rhode Islanders most susceptible to the worst ramifications of COVID-19. We defer to the experts at the Department of Health as to the appropriate time for members of the General Assembly to get the vaccine.”

Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.

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