This post was updated on Oct. 9th.
Governor Gina Raimondo announced Wednesday that the state will oversee an independent evaluation of any COVID-19 vaccine before it becomes available to the general public.
Several vaccines are in various stages of development and Raimondo said it is still too early to say when a vaccine might become available.
“We’re not going to put a vaccine out to the people of Rhode Island, until it is ready, until it is scientifically validated, until it is safe. And when that is going to be I don’t know today.”
A special subcommittee, working under the state’s vaccine advisory committee will be tasked with planning the evaluation and distribution of any vaccines. The group will include epidemiologists and community leaders among others.
“I know there’s a lot of concern about it. I know there’s a lot of uncertainty. And a ton of information and misinformation flying all around,” Raimondo said Wednesday.
Additionally, Raimondo says the state will put aside between $10 and $30 million dollars to help cover the cost of getting an approved COVID-19 vaccine to residents, including those who are undocumented or uninsured.
Raimondo made the announcement as the state reported one new COVID-19 associated fatality bringing the state’s total number of related deaths to 1,126. The state also reported 145 new cases of the virus.
The state conducted more than 9,000 tests Tuesday, with a positivity rate of 1.5 percent over the last week, which Raimondo described as “stable” though the rate is “trending up.”
K-12 schools are approaching the end of the first month, with many conducting at least some form of in-person classes. The state has conducted approximately 6,000 tests of teachers, staff and students since classes began.
So far, 265 positive cases among students, teachers and staff have been reported, with just over half of those (150 to 154 cases) who had been attending some or all classes in person, according to RI Dept. of Health data. (The governor misspoke during a news briefing, Audrey Lucas, a spokesperson for the Governor said, when she stated that fewer than half of the cases were among those who had attended in-person classes.)
Over the last month, public schools have been slowly bringing more teachers and students into buildings, but education officials say new demands created by the pandemic are stretching school districts in need of educators.
The state department of education, facing a severe shortage of substitute teachers, has created an online training program for adults with no education experience.
“We need to help them. We need some more substitutes. So even if you have never been a teacher before, but you think you might be good at it, and have the willingness to learn, please help us out,” Raimondo said.
All schools, with the exception of Providence and Central Falls have been cleared for fully in-person classes. However, most districts are also offering a virtual option for students who choose to stay home.
Correction: According to RI Department of Health data, as of Oct. 7th, between 150-154 school-related cases stemmed from in-person or hybrid learning. Between 110-114 cases stemmed from online learning. A spokesperson for the Governor’s office said in an emailed statement Thursday, Raimondo misspoke when referencing a majority of cases stemming from in-person learning.
