New Hampshire on track to administer first vaccine doses to educators, staff by end of March, officials say
State health leaders told school nurses on a call Tuesday that they will not be moving up any vaccination phases before finishing Phase 1B.
Phase 2A, which includes K-12 teachers, child care workers and school staff such as bus drivers, is slated to begin at the end of March and run through May. The group will include about 75,000 people and is one of the state’s smaller priority groups.
But questions have been raised after President Biden ordered states to get the population of teachers and school staff at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of March.
Health officials said it remains to be seen how Walgreens will fit into the state’s current plan, but Gov. Chris Sununu claimed that teachers will receive the does. In a statement, Sununu said in part, “Our plans are already well underway for teachers to receive their first shots before the end of March, which follows the White Houses’ request. And is a testament to the success of New Hampshire’s vaccine rollout.”
Some states, like Massachusetts, are using the federal partnership with CVS starting on March 11 for teachers. While in New Hampshire that may look different, officials said those vaccines could be administered at the state’s fixed sites because they are able to vaccinate so many people on a weekly basis.
“In terms of how the Walgreens Pharmacy Partnership Program will fit into the plan for 2A, that remains to be seen,” said Chief of the New Hampshire Bureau of Infectious Disease Control Dr. Beth Daly. “We’re considering the new information coming down from the federal government.”