Union Calls for Back-to-School Delay, Priority Booster Shots for BC Teachers | The Canadian News

The union representing roughly 46,000 teachers in British Columbia is calling on the province to delay returning to classrooms and give priority access to booster shots to all school staff.

British Columbia Teachers Federation (BCTF) President Teri Mooring said she has asked the government to change classes online until at least January 10 to assess the impact of the Omicron variant on staff and students. .

“Omicron is running rampant in the communities and it makes sense for that to happen in the schools as well,” he said in an interview Tuesday.

“We think we should take the first little bit to see how many teachers are affected.”

It is still unclear in British Columbia and around the world what impact the highly communicable variant of COVID-19 will have on classrooms that resume in-person learning after the holidays.

In a statement Monday, the Education Ministry said it plans to continue in-person learning into the new year with improved security measures.

The K-12 Provincial Steering Committee met last week and Monday, and is scheduled to meet again on Wednesday with the goal of finalizing those improved protocols.

The Health Ministry has not indicated that teachers will be given priority for reinforcements.

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“Many school staff members were given early priority for their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and would then have received the invitation for their second dose early,” reads a statement emailed from the department on Monday.

“As a result, the same school staff will receive their booster dose invitations sooner, based on the NACI recommended interval of at least six months between the second dose and the booster injection.”

However, unless teachers are added to the province’s booster vaccination priority group list, they could be waiting eight months between their second and third shots.

At this time, the only people eligible for a booster dose six months after the second vaccination are people 63 years of age or older, along with indigenous adults, residents of independent living or long-term care facilities, and individuals health workers.

People who are classified as clinically extremely vulnerable and people who initially received two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are also eligible, and those over 61 can book appointments.

Mooring said the lack of booster shots among teachers could lead to an increase in cases and symptoms that could keep more school staff at home. That means some schools may not be able to function due to staff shortages, he warned.

The British Columbia government has scheduled a briefing on COVID-19 for Wednesday.

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