The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘Both clear and equitable’
Lamont’s vaccine plan draws praise
Mayor Ben Florsheim said Monday he was still digesting Gov. Ned Lamont’s decision to expand of COVID-19 vaccination eligibility next month, but on first glance thinks it’s a good idea.
Florsheim said he knows there are tradeoffs to every decision, and he is relieved that teachers and childcare workers are included starting on March 1. He noted challenges in distribution, in terms of establishing tiers, has been the difficulty of determining eligible underlying conditions and how to verify those once established.
Lamont’s decision means the expansion will be done through defined age groups and teachers, shifting priority away from essential workers and those with underlying medical conditions.
“It sounds like the governor is saying we want to do this; efficient equitable distribution,” Florsheim said.
Middletown clinics have been running smoothly, Florsheim said, and he thinks “with the supply we can meet this timeline.”
“If this is goal is to get the vaccine in as many arms as, possible I think it makes sense to do it this way,” he said. “The mindset of efficient and effective distribution is where we should be focusing.”
Florsheim said the city Health Department has administered 2,838 vaccination doses as of this weekend, but that does not represent everyone in Middletown who has been vaccinated. The number includes first and second doses, he said.
“It will take a lot of planning but I do think this is the right step to get all our kids back to school relatively soon with our district staff feeling a greater sense of health security that will come with getting the vaccine,” Connor said. “They deserve that and our kids deserve to have them back too. This will move us all toward that common goal.”
Portland First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield said she thinks “it’s a good plan.”
Portland Superintendent of Schools Charles D. Britton also welcomed Lamont’s new protocol.
“I am looking forward to collaborating with the Chatham Health District and setting up a dedicated clinic for Portland's faculty and staff as soon as possible,” Britton said in email Monday following the governor’s press conference.
“If the vaccines are available on March 1st, we will be ready to run the clinic on March 1st,” Britton said.
His colleague, East Hampton Superintendent of Schools Paul K. Smith, said, “I am excited that our teachers and school staff will begin getting vaccinated in March.
“We have not closed our schools but remained fully opened in Grades K-5 and in a hybrid model in Grades 6-12. Students in
grades 6-12 will return in full on March 22,” he said. “We also plan to hold a full slate of spring sports, afternoon clubs and activities, outdoor concerts, and an outdoor drama production, as well as many Senior Class activities.”
Cromwell Town Manager Anthony J. Salvatore acknowledged the change will represent a challenge to the town’s health department.
But, Salvatore said, “I have every confidence that our health director, Mr. (Salvatore) Nesci and his associates from Durham, Middlefield, and Middletown will be able to meet that challenge.”
For his part, Nesci, speaking via telephone before the governor’s press conference, said Lamont’s approach is “only natural, considering we started with the 75 and older category
and we’ve been working back from that.”
“What we really need is more information about what the process is going to look like,” he said, adding meetings with health directors were being scheduled for as early as Monday
night.
“It’s imperative that we do this in a way that comfortable and safe,” he said.
Dave Cicarella, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers, said Monday he was pleased with Lamont’s decision to give teachers priority in March.
“That makes sense. It’s what we’ve kind of pushed for,” he said.
New Haven schools went back to in-person learning later than many school districts, Pre-K to fifth grade opened Jan. 19, and sixth- through eighth-graders will return March 4.
In some towns, he said, teachers have been exposed and had to go into quarantine and “they end up having to take the system into remote learning,” he said.
“Learning in general has been interrupted” since the pandemic began, Cicarella said. “It’s been all over the place, all over the state. We’ve got to get back all the kids being in the school every day.”