Public health chief backs teachers’ call for vaccine
A Black Country health chief has backed calls for teachers to be prioritised in the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination.
Dr Lisa McNally, director of public health for Sandwell, says she feels it would bring "enormous benefit" to have teachers vaccinated as soon as possible, with the desired effect being a reduction in the disruption to education.
Several pupils returned to schools on Monday, but the leader of Birmingham City Council has demanded a new national lockdown – and the closure of all primary and special schools.
With Covid cases still rising in the region, a national petition has also been started to have teachers and childcare staff prioritised in the ongoing roll-out of the vaccination, with more than 160,000 signatures so far.
Dr McNally has also offered her backing to the campaign, saying: “I’d love to see us prioritise school staff for Covid vaccination.
“I think we could get this done quickly, vaccinating whole school teams at once? Then, aside from protecting health, surely it would reduce disruption to education in future?
“I think it would bring enormous benefit – including significant reduction in school closures by February if we acted now.”
Speaking at a West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) media briefing last week, Dr Lola Abudu. director of health and wellbeing for Public Health England – West Midlands, said that current decisions on vaccinations were made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation based on level of vulnerability, but that the policy was ‘continuously reviewed’.
Dr David Loughton, chief executive at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, says that his council have also ‘begun lobbying’ to have teachers given priority in the vaccination roll-out.
“I’ve had discussions with my director of public health about teachers, because from an NHS point of view it is really important that schools stay open for key workers because of the impact that that has on NHS staff,” he said.
“So we’re in discussions – as Lola said it is a national policy – but we’re lobbying locally to see what we can do.”
