Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said as many as 9,000 doses a week could be set aside for teachers. “We are committing to as many doses as CHOP needs to vaccinate our teachers,” he said.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia started its vaccination program at one of its seven sites on Monday. Six more clinics will be set up at schools in the coming weeks.

“Our goal is to complete the two-dose vaccination series for all student-facing personnel in the city within 6 weeks,” Dr. Ron Keren, CHOP’s chief medical officer, told reporters in a news conference.

The doses are available to educators in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s schools, charter schools, and Independence Mission Schools, along with public educators. CHOP is focusing on vaccinating staff who are already working in buildings first.

You can read: City and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will vaccinate teachers

The City of Philadelphia official website stated that the program includes staff of all District, charter, independent and parochial schools, as well as at childcare centers and pre-K providers.

Extremely thankful

“The launch of this vaccination program is an important addition to extensive work the School District, charter schools, and childcare providers have already undertaken to safely reopen classrooms throughout Philadelphia,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “As we approach the one-year anniversary of our public schools moving to virtual learning, getting our children back into schools for in-person learning is paramount. We are extremely thankful for the support of everyone at Children’s Hospital in this effort.”

“Today, and every day, we are committed to supporting the needs of all those who care for children,” said Ron Keren, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “As healthcare providers, we look forward to providing COVID-19 vaccinations to eligible school personnel and aiding the City in this important effort.”

For more information about the vaccination program, please visit chop.edu/covid-19-vaccine-program/school-personnel.

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The details of the joint effort were still being worked out. However, Mayor Jim Kenney said the city planned to hold pop-up vaccination sites at district, charter, parochial and independent schools.

“As we near the one-year anniversary of the pandemic, getting children back into classrooms throughout the city is vitally important to their future,” Kenney said. “This vaccination program will go a long way to easing the concerns that teachers have expressed.”

According to a 6abc.com report, the program was announced as teachers and staff protested outside their buildings on Monday, claiming they feared the ventilation systems in the city’s aging schools were not enough to address the potential spread of the coronavirus.

You can read: Superintendent William Hite ensures that Philly classrooms are safe

The school district had ordered lower-grade teachers to attend to their schools Monday, but then backed off the mandate while a mediator reviewed issues raised by the teachers union. The district has over 120,000 students in 215 district-operated schools, and another 80,000 students in charter, cyber and alternative schools.

Superintendent William Hite wants to offer students who have been learning remotely for nearly a year because of the pandemic a chance to return to school Feb. 22 under an optional hybrid instruction model.

Ventilation problems

He said the district has enhanced its cleaning operations and identified ventilation problems, and will not open classrooms until needed improvements are made. In a statement released Monday, Hite defended his decision for teachers to return and addressed ventilation concerns.

“The return of staff to buildings reflects 11 months of careful and science-based preparation by thousands of district staff,” he said. “To date, the district has spent about $65 million due to COVID-19. That includes nearly $4 million in ventilation assessments, repairs and enhancements to ensure healthy airflow.”

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