Niagara to begin vaccinating frontline child care and education workers over April Break

Through guidance from Niagara’s Community Coordination Taskforce for COVID-19 Vaccination, child care, elementary and secondary school sectors have been prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination in Niagara region.

Beginning April 9, frontline staff in the following roles, who are unable to work from home, will be able to book a vaccine appointment:

Teachers and educators, including occasional supply teachers who are actively working in-person and/or who backfill teachers who are absent because of potential COVID-19 exposures
Early childhood educators, including those who provide coverage within either or both childcare and elementary school sectors.
Licensees, employees and students on educational placement working in licensed childcare centres
Licensed home childcare and in-home service providers
Custodial, cafeteria and administrative staff
Bus drivers and monitors

Eligible workers will be vaccinated at Niagara Health’s immunization clinic at the Seymour Hannah Recreation Complex in St. Catharines, and will receive detailed booking instructions from their employer.

Early prioritization of child care, elementary and secondary school sectors for vaccination was based on a number of risk factors:

Risk of exposure to infection, as many children experience asymptomatic infections which make them difficult to diagnose
Risk of transmission within a congregate environment (including transportation to school and in-class learning)
Risk of disruption to in-person learning, which is critical to the mental, behavioural and developmental health of children.
Risks of long-term effects from COVID-19 in children, including rare but serious cases of inflammatory syndrome, remains unclear and therefore it is important to vaccinate those who may transmit illness to children.

Closures also disrupt critical school-based services such as immunization, school meals, mental health and psychosocial support and present greater harms for children living in poverty and children with disabilities. In addition, child care and schools support parents with reliable and safe care so that they can continue to work.

Since early last spring, Niagara has seen several COVID-19 outbreaks within child care and schools, which has placed pressures on local health and public health services. As of April 6, 2021, 23.3% of current outbreaks are associated with child care or school settings.

Vaccinating this population will also ensure ongoing capacity to focus resources on vaccination rollout, instead of contact tracing, outbreak management and providing care for those in hospital.

The decision was made at the Task Force’s April 1 meeting, where members provided input into the prioritization for populations included in the second phase of the Province’s vaccination plan.

Over 1,500 education staff in Niagara who directly support students with special needs were vaccinated in late March.

Since January, the Task Force has provided community-wide input and advice on the rollout of the local vaccination plan.