As many as 3,000 employees of Pittsburgh Public Schools will receive their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine this week.
Giant Eagle is administering the shots at Heinz Field on Thursday and Friday. The district is working directly with school leaders to schedule appointments. Though Pennsylvania has earmarked its entire allotment of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine for educators, initial shipments will cover less than half of the estimated 200,000 doses required.
Giant Eagle says its efforts will complement the J&J initiative to get educators vaccinated.
At least six state-owned universities plan to return to pre-pandemic education instruction for the fall
Of the 14 schools in the of Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Clarion, California, Edinboro, West Chester, East Stroudsburg and Kutztown - are slated to bring back more in-person activities.
Kutztown vice president of university relations Matt Santos says administrators will continue to watch levels of community spread and access to vaccines as the start of the academic year approaches in August.
“The prospects would really look bright at this point, I think we’re really starting to see that light,” Santos said. “I think we’re all hopeful. Not just us in higher education, but in all fields.”
Santos says the university in Berks County will look to public health leaders for guidance of what measures to keep in place, like masking and testing.
The school is strongly encouraging students and staff to get vaccinated before they return to campus for the fall semester.
More unemployment workers
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry says it will "increase staffing at the Unemployment Compensation Service Center by 500 to 1,000 workers. These new staff members will be dedicated to answering phone calls, increasing customer service access to Pennsylvania workers with questions about their unemployment benefits."
LATEST NUMBERS
Allegheny County:
- 209 new cases
- No new deaths reported
Pennsylvania:
- 2,594 new cases
- 43 new deaths
- 1,530 patients hospitalized
- 313 patients in ICU
- 3,128,637 vaccine doses administered
