Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said during Wednesday's White House coronavirus briefing that the agency's data shows vaccinating teachers "is not a prerequisite" for safely reopening schools.
Figuring out how to safely get children back in the classroom is a priority for the Biden administration, albeit one that is the subject of much debate and growing tensions between lawmakers, school districts, and teachers' unions. Teachers are eligible for vaccination in many states, but distribution struggles and a shortage in supply have slowed the rollout. The good news, seemingly, is that studies have suggested transmission is rare in schools, though it's unclear if that will settle the matter.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Social Security: Insolvency date keeps getting closerFeature A new report has projected that Social Security funds could be depleted by 2033
-
Are AI lovers replacing humans?Talking Points A third of Gen Z singles use tech as a 'romantic companion'
-
What are the Trump Accounts for kids and how do they work?The Explainer Parents will soon be able to open tax-advantaged investment accounts on their child's behalf
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year highSpeed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, changeSpeed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panelspeed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kidsSpeed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sickspeed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last yearspeed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive orderspeed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measlesSpeed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
