SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Roughly 3 million front line healthcare workers and people in nursing homes are in the first phase of California's COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
Deciding who will be in the next phase is expected to be confirmed Wednesday.
Kisha Borden is the president of the San Diego Education Association.
"We are hearing we are in tier 1B," said Borden.
The governor says Phase 1B has several tiers. It includes people over 75, workers in education, childcare, emergency services, food, and agriculture.
Tier 2 includes people over 65 with underlying medical conditions and those at risk of exposure in various workplaces, including transportation, commercial, residential, sheltering facilities, and critical manufacturing.
"Grocery store workers and those types of workers should definitely be prioritized, so we're just waiting for confirmation on where educators fall," said Borden.
Even though teachers are listed in the next group, the governor says it's not that simple.
"But what's the prioritization for teachers? Is it those who are doing distance or those doing in-person learning," Newsom said during his Monday update.
Those details are expected Wednesday when the Community Vaccine Advisory Committee meets to finalize who is in Phase 1B.
Since November, the committee has gotten a lot of feedback. More than 100 pages worth of personal messages and letters from agencies. Airline employees, commercial anglers, veterinarians, media agencies, and many others all wrote to the state making their case about why they should be next in line. The California Teachers Association represented local teachers.
"Of course, if we want schools to open, school staff should be prioritized for the vaccine," said Borden.
Vaccinations for the next phase are expected to begin this month.