BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, is painting a better picture of when the nation's students will likely start getting vaccinated against Covid-19.
The White House Covid-19 Adviser was invited to a virtual event at Tufts University to speak about the pandemic and the plan to eventually get teenagers and younger children safely back into classrooms.
"High school students [will likely start] being vaccinated in the fall, elementary students [will likely start] being vaccinated in the first quarter of 2022," Dr. Fauci said.
He said that timeline is part of the administration's goal to get most children back to school in what he describes as a "very reasonably short period of time."
That comes as Governor Charlie Baker's administration is aiming to phase out remote learning over the upcoming months and have Commonwealth students back in the in-person classroom full time by the end of the spring.
Elementary students in Massachusetts are expected to be back in the in-person classroom by around April 5, 2021.
While it may take longer for students to be able to get their vaccine shots, Massachusetts teachers will be able to start booking their appointments through the state's VaxFinder registration website on Thursday.
In the meantime, educators, daycare workers and teachers can also book their Covid-19 vaccine shots at participating CVS Pharmacy locations.
As of March 9, 2021, none of the FDA-approved Covid-19 vaccines being distributed have been authorized for anyone under the age of 16 -- but adolescent vaccine trials are currently being conducted.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) reports.
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Written by Rachel Armany
(Photo: Getty Images)