Since the start of this pandemic, TAUP has set as its top priority the health and safety of our community. We successfully campaigned for workplace accommodations and limits on in-person instruction.
Now, the focus expands to include vaccines. We want you to have the latest information on how to obtain these medications. However, we must caution that information changes daily, and the procedures for some larger cities such as Philadelphia may differ from states. Please check official city, county, and state websites for the latest information about the vaccines.
Here’s the current situation:
You can seek vaccine if you are:
- Ages 65 and older
- Pregnant
- Have cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, Down Syndrome, heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies, immunocompromised states from solid organ transplant, obesity, severe obesity, sickle cell disease, or type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Pennsylvania now has a website where they list locations that currently have vaccines or could soon have vaccines. Most are medical centers and pharmacies. Some have their own websites where you can register to be notified of available vaccines at their location. The sooner you register, the sooner you may get a vaccine. Checking websites daily may yield more locations where you can sign up for a vaccine.
Workers in higher education are currently classified as being in Group 1C. There is no timetable announced yet for when vaccinations will commence for this group.
Teachers who work in Philadelphia and live in surrounding counties are encouraged to get a vaccine in the community where they live. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney was quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer and stated:
“A large percentage of our teachers do not live in Philadelphia. So if they have the availability of getting a vaccination in their own community they should do that and reduce the number that we have to be responsible for.”
TAUP is working to expedite vaccinations for some of our members who work in person. We are aware that some of our members are working in person but do not have the health challenges that put them more toward the front of the line. These members feel an even greater urgency to get the vaccine, and TAUP supports them. If you’re teaching in person and have questions about testing and vaccines, email taupaft@gmail.com
By communicating clearly with each other and insisting that our rights to a safe workplace are respected, we will get through this long, painful episode — mourning our losses, cognizant of the inequities that continue to structure the unequal burdens we share, and committed to a healthier and more just future for our members and all in our community.