COVID-19 vaccine supply will remain flat through March, followed by a surge
With nearly 3 million shots being given daily nationwide, demand remains so high that governors, mayors and public-health officials say the supply has dwindled.
State and local officials throughout the country who are eager for more doses of COVID-19 vaccines were told this week that the supply will remain stagnant for most of this month, but should surge in the last days of March through the beginning of April.
A White House official told McClatchy that the flat supply over the course of March is due to widely anticipated shortfalls from Johnson & Johnson, one of three authorized vaccine manufacturers. The supply of the one-shot J&J vaccines will increase in roughly two weeks.
Public-health officials are able to see their projected vaccine supply up to three weeks in advance through a federal vaccine tracking system called Tiberius, and what they are seeing is a flat line through the end of March.
Biden administration officials also explained the current supply issues in their weekly call with governors.
THE MIAMI-DADE AND BROWARD SCHOOL SYSTEMS WELCOMED THE CHANGE.
students not only “the education they need to succeed” but access to crucial social and mental health services.
Three feet of distance in classroom settings was already the guideline at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, which opened schools since October. The district followed standards set by the World Health Organization, which calls for one meter of distance, or 3 feet and 3 inches, between students.
Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said other CDC guidelines, such as mandatory wearing of masks, washing of hands, contact tracing and emphasis on vaccinations are also being followed.
He said he recently visited Flagami Elementary, where 74% of students are learning in school compared to learning remotely online. He said that enrollment is "clear proof" schools can operate safely following the guidelines.
“Social distancing in our schools is adequate and safe,” Carvalho said. Districtwide, 52% of students are still choosing to learn online.
Broward County Schools also welcomed the new CDC recommendations.
“We know much more about the transmission of COVID-19 today than we did a year ago and have learned that health and safety protocols in our schools have successfully reduced spread, Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said Friday. "If lower physical distancing policies can be adopted in schools without adversely affecting our students, it will enable more students to return to the classroom for a muchneeded, traditional face-toface education.”
In the Keys, elementary school children have been back in the classroom since early September, so the new guidance is not expected to impact operations within Monroe County Schools, said school district spokeswoman Becky Herrin.
"All of our elementary school students have been in class all year," she said. The new guidance:
Removes recommendations
● for plastic shields or other barriers between desks. “We don’t have a lot of evidence of their effectiveness” in preventing transmission, Massetti said.
Advises at least 3 feet
●
of space between desks in elementary schools, even in towns and cities where community spread is high, so long as students and teachers wear masks and take other precautions.
Says spacing can also
●
be 3 feet in middle and high schools, so long as there is not a high level of spread in the community. If there is, the distance should be at least 6 feet.
The CDC said 6 feet should still be maintained in common areas, such as school lobbies, and when masks can’t be worn, such as when eating.
Also, students should be kept 6 feet apart in situations where there are a lot of people talking, cheering or singing, all of which can expel droplets containing the coronavirus. That includes chorus practice, assemblies and sports events.
Teachers and other adults should continue to stay 6 feet from one another and from students, the CDC said.
The CDC’s 6-foot advice for schools, issued last year, was the same standard applied to workplaces and other settings. In contrast, the World Health Organization suggested 1 meter — a little over 3 feet — was sufficient in schools. The American Academy of Pediatrics says desks should be 3 feet apart and “ideally” 6 feet.
The CDC guidance was problematic for many schools that traditionally had 25, 30 or more children per classroom in closely grouped desks. Some schools adopted complicated schedules. For example, half a class might come to school on some days, and the other half on other days.
Some schools stopped using lockers and staggered when different grades could move between classes to avoid crowding in the halls, where maintaining any distance at all can be difficult.
The Ridley school system in suburban Philadelphia took steps like that to abide by the 6-foot guideline. But neighboring communities went with 3 feet, “and we’re not seeing the data really reflect a different spread rate,” said Lee Ann Wentzel, district superintendent.
Even before the CDC acted, the district had decided to shift to 3-foot distancing next month. Wentzel said the change in CDC guidance will make it easier to explain and defend the decision.
A recent study in Massachusetts looked at students and staff members in schools that used the 3foot standard and those that had the 6-foot one. It found no significant difference in infection rates.