INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination started this week with health care workers. State Senator Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington) released the following statement on the next steps in vaccination distribution:

“Our health care and long-term care staff have been working tirelessly against this pandemic, and I am relieved that help is finally on the way for these frontline workers.  As the state plans to distribute the next round of vaccines to emergency responders and food bank workers, I am worried that we are forgetting about a very important group of frontline workers battling this pandemic daily. Our teachers have shown up for our kids, teaching them and caring for them despite very real health risks to them and their families.

“I understand that there is a limited quantity of vaccines, but our state leaders must be championing our teachers and fighting for adequate supplies. Our educators are often in close contact with children who don’t understand what six feet looks like or the importance of not touching their masks. Their exposure is real, and these risks should be reflected in the state’s plans for distributing the COVID-19 vaccine.”