U.S. President Joe Biden has directed federally-contracted COVID-19 vaccine providers to consider teachers, school staff, and licensed child care workers a priority group in every state, even if teachers are not currently eligible under a state’s current priority tier.

Teachers in Kansas City are now eligible to receive a vaccine from any federally-run vaccine clinic, like Walmart or Sam’s Club.

“Vaccinations are key to reopening our schools for in-person learning quickly and safely, and I’m pleased that the federal pharmacy partnership program is ramping up vaccination efforts to make sure our teachers, support staff, and child care workers are next in line,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said Monday. “I will continue working with our state and federal partners to maintain this growing momentum for vaccines and ensure vaccine distribution reaches every educator in every Kansas City school district. Our teachers deserve protection for the essential work they do to educate our next generation.”

In Missouri, teachers have been classified as Phase 1B – Tier 3. Missouri is currently vaccinating Phase 1A, Phase 1B – Tier 1 and Phase 1B Tier 2.

More information on vaccinations in Missouri can be found at https://covidvaccine.mo.gov.