Anthony Stephen Fauci, Rochelle Paula Walensky, and Jeffrey Dunston Zients

“ First, let me just acknowledge what the teachers have had to do this year in the context of COVID-19, and how they have had to evolve their thinking and their curricula, and how they teach their students in, truly, an overwhelming and challenging time.I’ve spoken to the teachers unions. They know that we need to follow the science and to make our guidance based on that science, and they’ve been very respectful of that. ”

“ You know, we have now increasing evidence for many different school settings that did not control for ventilation, as to demonstrating that it is safe in classrooms, when 100 percent masked, to be at three feet.And so, you know, what I would say is, you know, we are following the science, and we have done the science, and we’ve seen the science to make — to ensure that this is safe for those schools. ”

“ The concern is that throughout the country, there are a number of state, city, regions that are pulling back on some of the mitigation methods that we’ve been talking about: the withdrawal of mask mandates, the pulling back to essentially non-public health measures being implemented. This is something that each of us have expressed concern about that is really quite risky to declare victory before you have the level of infection in the community to a much, much lower level than 53,000 cases per day. ”

“ Today’s announcement builds on our ongoing efforts to support teachers, school, staff, and students, as well as our work and educational and public health stakeholders to provide the guidance, tools, and resources to get our nation’s schools open as quickly and safely as possible. ”

“ As a mother of three myself, I know all too well the difficulties that arise for our children — and parents and caregivers — when children are not able to attend in person for school. These challenges are especially difficult for children and families from low-resourced communities, as well as those from racial and ethnic minority communities and those with disabilities. ”

“ All adults eligible no later than May 1.
Finally, I want to provide an update on how we are working with our North American partners on efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 across the continent. As part of the national strategy to end the pandemic, the United States is committed to engaging with the international community and supporting global efforts to address public health and humanitarian concerns. ”

“ On places to get vaccinated, we’ve increased the number of convenient and trusted places for people to get a shot. We’ve provided federal support for more than 600 community vaccination sites. We’ve administered more than 1 million shots at federally run community vaccination sites across the country. And more than 60 percent of those vaccinations have been administered to minority populations. ”

“ In middle and high schools, CDC is also recommending that students be at least three feet apart in classrooms where everyone is wearing a mask and the community level of risk is low, moderate, or substantial. Because COVID-19 is spread more likely among older students, CDC recommends that middle and high school students should be at least six feet apart in communities where COVID 19 risk is high, unless cohorting is possible. ”

“ CDC continues to recommend at least six feet of distance between teachers and staff and other adults in the school buildings and between the adults and students.
In common areas in the school, when masks cannot be worn — such as when eating, during activities such as singing, band practice, sports, exercise, and other activities that can increase exhalation — these activities should be moved outdoors or to large, well-ventilated spaces when possible. And six feet should also be used in community settings outside the classroom. ”

“ COVID-19 cases continue to remain between 50- and 60,000 cases per day, with the most recent seven-day average at 53,200 cases per day. The most recent seven-day average of hospital admissions is slightly below 4,700 admissions per day, similar to the seven-day average we had on Monday. Deaths continue to decline with the current seven-day average of 1,025 deaths per day. ”

“ This variant, as you know, is every day getting more and more dominant in our own country. So, very first, let me take just a few seconds to refresh your memory about the variant. It was first detected in the UK in December of 2020. It was reported in over 90 countries. The first U.S. cases were detected in the United States, in Colorado, at the end of December of 2020. And since then, it has been detected in 50 jurisdictions in the United States, and likely accounts now for about 20 to 30 percent of the infections in this country, and that number is growing. ”

“ Our approach to this wartime effort is to have as many tools in our toolkit as possible. Right now, we have three effective vaccines that went through a rigorous review process to be authorized by the FDA. We have other vaccines going through that process now, including one from AstraZeneca. ”

“ Given our progress on increasing supply, coupled with increasing the number of vaccinators in the field and creating more places to get vaccinated, the President announced last week that all adults in the country will be eligible for vaccinations no later than May 1. ”

“ That’s a new record pace that we will continue to build on. Importantly, now two out of three adults age 65 and older have gotten at least their first shot. This is critical because 80 percent of COVID deaths have been individuals 65 and over. ”

“ This loan will not reduce the available supply of vaccines to Americans. The doses we are loaning are not approved for use in the United States. No American will be without a vaccine because of this action. ”