March 18, 2021
Dear NVSD Community Members,
Earlier
today, the provincial government announced that front-line workers,
including K-12 educational staff, will be eligible for COVID-19
vaccinations over the coming weeks. The full new release is available HERE.
Beginning
in April, K-12 educational staff will be among those individuals in
priority groups identified by public health and the COVID-19 Workplace
Task Group to begin to receive their first dose of the AstraZeneca/SII
COVISHIELD (AZ/SII) vaccine.
While COVID-19 vaccines are not
mandatory, all staff in the K-12 system are encouraged to get the
vaccine as soon as it is available to them. Providing safe and healthy
learning environments for our students and staff has always been our
priority, and today’s announcement strengthens our collective efforts.
I
look forward to sharing with you more details about the priority
vaccination for K-12 educational staff, including vaccine booking
arrangements, as soon as they become available.
I am pleased with
today’s announcement and the inclusion of K-12 education staff in the
vaccine priority list. I am also pleased with how the B.C. COVID-19
Immunization Plan is progressing to date, and welcome the good news that
the province is on track to have every eligible adult immunized by this
summer. As I shared with you last week, with the immunization plan
pushing forward, there is greater optimism that we may return to some
sense of “normal” during the summer months.
I hope today’s news provides us all with some comfort and relief and that you are enjoying Spring Break.
With appreciation,
Mark Pearmain
Superintendent of Schools
