Biden administration steps up push for school reopenings

To carry the message, the White House dispatched the first lady, Jill Biden, and the newly confirmed education secretary, Miguel Cardona, on a trip to Connecticut and Pennsylvania to emphasize that teachers should no longer fear returning unprotected to the classroom. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that teachers do not have to be vaccinated for schools to reopen safely.

Getting shots into the arms of educators and school staff would be his “top priority” as education secretary, Dr. Cardona said in Connecticut, where he and the first lady were joined by Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers…

On Tuesday, the White House coronavirus response team held a call with governors and told them not to expect any extra vaccine allotment until later in the spring. An extra boost of the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine, they were told, would not be arriving until the first week of April.

Participants on the call were confused later in the day when Mr. Biden announced that teachers would be prioritized for the vaccine, even though the available amount of vaccine would not be increased, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation.