6,600 Bucks County School Staff Will Be Vaccinated By Next End Of Week

Marking a major milestone, more than half of the school staff in Bucks County will be vaccinated for COVID-19 by the end of next week.

The Bucks County Intermediate Unit estimates there are about 10,000 school staff and contractors – ranging from lunch aides to teachers – who are able to be vaccinated for COVID-19 within the county.

Based on a February county-operated vaccination clinic that put more than 1,900 two-dose vaccines into the arms of Phase 1A-qualified school staff and 4,700 school staffers who will receive the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine by the end of next week through the Bucks County Intermediate Unit’s effort, about 6,600 of the roughly 10,000 school workers will be building an immune response to fend off the novel coronavirus that closed schools one year ago.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a bipartisan state task force, and local school leaders believe the ramped up efforts to get school staff inoculated will help keep students and staff and their families safer during the pandemic, while allowing in-person learning to expand.

Wolf’s administration directed the first 94,600 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine received in Pennsylvania to be divided among the state’s intermediate units. The intermediate units started this week hosting state-funded vaccination clinics run by AMI Expeditionary Healthcare to get shots in the arms of school staff.

The Bucks County Intermediate Unit launched their vaccine clinic Wednesday at their main facility off Route 611 in Doylestown Township.

Dr. Mark Hoffman, the executive director of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, said 510 school staff from around the county received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Wednesday. More doses will be injected through next week.

“These vaccination efforts provide another mitigation strategy within our respective school health and safety plans to increase the level of in-person instruction across Pennsylvania.  We are pleased to support this important work in every way possible,” Hoffman said.

Reporters were given a tour of the clinic at the intermediate unit’s headquarters Thursday afternoon. The operation has turned the front entry area and a large room into check-in stations, inoculation areas, and an observation room.

Hoffman said the clinic was designed to be efficient and get school staff in and out safely and quickly.

School staff are being scheduled through the 13 districts, technical high schools, and private schools.

While the first phase of the Johnson & Johnson clinic includes 4,700 doses, Hoffman said the clinic will resume operation once more doses for school staff arrive.

Hoffman said the aim is to have all school staff who wish to get vaccinated completed by the end of April.

Report a correction via email | Editorial standards and policies

---

---