Compounding the problem is a recent survey of AFT teachers showing 12% completely refuse to get vaccinated and another 5% wish to wait longer than “a few months” to get vaccinated. Details on the Axios news site.
No such article comes up when searching for that…
But assuming that that is true, that is a far lower percentage than the overall population, according to KFF January 2021 surveys at KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: January 2021 - Vaccine Hesitancy - 9616-2 | KFF
- 13% definitely no
- 7% only if required
- 31% wait and see
- 41% get it as soon as possible
- 6% already vaccinated
So the AFT teachers’ 12% refusers compares against the 13% + 7% = 20% who will refuse or get it only if required in the general population, while the 5% wait and see compares against the 31% wait and see in the general population.
Google Hart Research Associates, study 14022, published February 2021, @ucbalumnus. The study of AFT members is there with plenty of data.
I do not really care about the overall public’s vaccine refusal; perhaps they are hermits, or wish to be. I do care about educators who refuse the vaccine and use that refusal as a weapon against opening schools.
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Why don’t you just post links?
Anyway, you are probably referring to Union head won’t say whom teachers should get priority over for COVID vaccine which links to the survey https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/fi14022_aft-members-school-reopening.pdf .
Question 2d of the survey shows that 24% of surveyed teachers have already been vaccinated, and another 43% will get it as soon as possible. This 67% is significantly higher than the 47% of adults in the KFF survey. So be glad that teachers are more favorable to the vaccine than adults overall, and that their union leader is also in favor of vaccination.
Survey did not seem to ask teachers what their opinion on going back to fully in person after everyone has been offered the vaccine (as opposed to what it is like now and what they prefer now, before vaccine availability to everyone).
Regarding the UC and CSU schools, it really depends on what county they are in. For example, LA County closed all colleges and dorms all year - that’s Pepperdine to Pomona and everything in between. At the same time, dorms were open (singles only) at UCSD, UCI, UCD, UCB, SLO and others. Classes were remote but students were able to move onto campus.
On the positive side, UC Davis says that they are cautiously optimistic that they will be able to return to pre-pandemic operations in the fall. Checking In With Chancellor May: Cautiously Optimistic
UCLA just released a statement that they are beginning to open facilities. UCLA to reopen certain spaces at limited capacities, safety remains paramount - COVID-19 and vaccine resources
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Like pretty much everyone else, we are watching Covid numbers closely, attempting to anticipate/guess what this Fall may look like. While I’m very happy to see vaccine distribution picking up and decreasing case numbers in much of the country, where we are (northern NJ) the numbers seem to be spiking again, and I’m concerned that it may be due to spread of new virus variants. We were an early virus hotspot in the last wave. I had thought the many people getting vaccines lately would help lower case numbers. I’m truly hoping this is an anomaly and not an indication of things to come.
I read an article about keeping an eye on Florida, which hasn’t seen a spike yet. Did not hear about NJ. I’m still concerned. Our local numbers here are great right now but the variant has not yet been found in our samples.
CDC COVID Data Tracker as of March 10 says that about 38k doses per 100k people age 18+ have been given in NJ. Since almost all so far have been of the two-dose vaccines, that is enough to fully vaccinate 19% of the adult population (although the percentage that is fully vaccinated is lower, while the percentage that has gotten at least one dose is higher). Even though NJ will soon move to almost a free-for-all (2/3+ of the adult population eligible), there is still a vaccine shortage, with many people who want vaccine unable to get it.
Son’s school says they are planning for the majority of classes to be in person in the fall but there may be some restrictions based on the situation (masks, lower numbers in a class, etc.) but as close to normal as the situation will allow. They are running behind on vaccines. Their area is ready to move to the next phase but the governor won’t move ahead until the entire state is ready. His school is an approved vaccine distribution site so hopefully he will be able to get his vaccine there by the summer.
At my D’s school, students have started getting vaccinated. They sent out an email saying that mask restrictions will remain in place until 80-90% of the school population has been vaccinated. They get tested weekly and 14 days after your second shot you no longer have to get tested, nor do you have to quarantine if you are a close contact. So I think they may be back to some normalcy before the end of this year barring any new strain that is resistant to the vaccine. My D and a bunch of her friends all got vaccinated yesterday at Walgreens.
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wow. What school is that? It is starting to look like some kids are getting lucky with governors who are willing to vaccinate them. Maine is on a strict age-based system so students are way down the line.
Our Colorado school district has already announced that it will be returning fully in person this fall. Here, K-12 teachers were eligible to receive the vaccine beginning February 8 and our school district predicts all of our teachers will be vaccinated by the end of March. My S hasn’t attended in-person class since last March. Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
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alabama has congregant living vaccines available for dorm kids . . . .
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Hm. I wish all states were doing that. Maybe some schools should have let Covid fly like Alabama and then their states would have decided to give college students the vaccine now!
Alabama seems to be one of the slower states with vaccinations, according to CDC COVID Data Tracker . Its demographics also suggest a higher than average rate of vaccine refusal.
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California’s education sector includes “all staff” at colleges and universities. Students who work for the university (labs, TA, bookstore, lifeguard, etc) can receive vaccines. Universities up and down the state are sending letters to the students that verifies their eligibility.
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University of Minnesota president just announced a full return to in person classes for the fall.
"The University of Minnesota on Friday announced plans to return to full on-campus operations next fall.
“Given projections on the number of Minnesotans who will be vaccinated, and relying on continued guidance from our public health colleagues, we are increasingly reassured that we can bring students, faculty and staff back to our campuses while effectively minimizing the risk to our community,’’ said University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel.”
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Students in dorms at Wake can get vaccinated starting 3/17 with those with health issues having priority.
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Hoorayyyyy!!! This is great news, that they’re considering dorm life to be congregate living, which it most certainly is, and allowing the students to get immunized now.
I wonder if colleges are going to make immunization a pre-req for attendance, same as the other required immunizations? Makes sense that they should do so, but with the unfortunate politicization of immunizations, I have a feeling that it’s going to be patchwork, at best. But I’m hoping for announcements by the end of the month that immunization for Covid will be required to set foot on campus, so that people cannot complain, “If I had known, I wouldn’t have chosen your school!”
Boston University has announced that it will be going to “nearly normal” in the fall. Online classes will not be an option.
Coming This Fall for BU: Nearly Normal | BU Today | Boston University
Earlier in the week Northeastern announced that they will be “normal” in the fall but with a mask requirement. Neither school has announced if vaccinations will be required to live/study on campus.
Conversely, I read this in my news feed earlier but cannot find it now but Harrisburg Area Community College in PA will be remote for the fall.
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