What School Leaders Need to Know
Wisconsin had its first-person vaccinated on Monday, moving our state forward on the journey back to normalcy.
But, as the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) moves from COVID-19 vaccine planning to implementation, they are asking community leaders like you to help urge the public to have patience and understanding, while the agency works through the emerging details on the COVID-19 vaccination process.
Things are moving quickly. Your students will learn history in real-time! What would have taken months in previous eras — even during World War Two — is happening in days. It’s breathtaking to consider:
On Friday 12/11/20, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to the Pfizer vaccine product.
On Saturday 12/12/20 the expert committee members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend the use of the vaccine. The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) accepted those recommendations. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine may be administered in persons aged 16 years and older for the prevention of COVID-19.
On Sunday 12/13/20, the CDC released new COVID-19 vaccine information for consumers:
On Monday 12/14/20 vaccine shipments began arriving in Wisconsin at designated regional hubs. DHS is prioritizing hospitals and clinics as initial vaccination sites so as to reach front-line healthcare workers.
Your Help Needed
As educators, we are being asked to help instill in our communities the fact that we are many months away from having enough COVID-19 vaccine supply to reach high vaccination coverage.
The state asks us to please encourage staff, students and families, to continue wearing masks, to maintain physical distancing, wash their hands, and get tested and to isolate if they have any signs or symptoms of COVID-19.
Even after the first people get vaccinated, it is important to continue to practice all of these COVID-19 precautions so that we stand the best chance of getting our families, communities, schools, and workplaces “back to normal” sooner.
