Johnson and Johnson plans to have 10 million COVID-19 vaccines available in the USA by April. Dr. Anthony Fauci said Thursday that the company is close to seeking an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
As the U.S. enters "what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus," President Joe Biden is putting forth a national COVID-19 strategy to ramp up vaccinations and testing, reopen schools and businesses and increase the use of masks.
Cumberland County teachers say they’re ready to take the COVID-19 vaccine because it will help protect their students, their families and the community.
The county Health Department is working on plans to be sure teachers can be vaccinated. Health Director Jennifer Green is holding weekly meetings with educators to be sure they are familiar with how to register to get the vaccine.
Marvin Connelly Jr., superintendent of Cumberland County Schools, said teachers could start getting the vaccine later this month. Health officials think all teachers might have an opportunity to get it by early March, he said.
Whitney Igleasias, who teaches English and language arts to sixth-graders at Anne Chesnutt Middle School, said she will be taking the vaccine. She said she feels a responsibility to her students and to the community.
Students in Cumberland County Schools will return to in-person classes March 15 under a plan presented to the Board of Education on Tuesday by Superintendent Marvin Connelly Jr.
The board voted in November for in-person instruction to begin this month, but gave Connelly authority to delay the opening if COVID-19 cases were high in the area. Connelly said the metrics used to measure the amount of disease are not low enough for students to return to school buildings now.
Connelly said he hopes the levels will be lower in March. He said COVID-19 vaccinations, which some educators are expected to receive later this month, also could make it more likely for in-person classes to start. The county health director believes nearly all school staff members will have an opportunity to get the vaccine by the first week of March, Connelly said.