Huntsville City Schools announced that Columbia, Lee and New Century Technology high schools students will return to campus classroom learning today.

The system suspended in-person learning last Wednesday through Friday due to the number of teachers under self-quarantine for exposure to COVID-19.

There were no new cases of positive tests at any of the three schools. However, the number of teachers who would be absent and the lack of substitute teachers to fill the void led the school system to transition back to virtual learning for three days.

The system began the school year with virtual classes only for the first nine weeks.

“When you have a lot of staff members in quarantine or a lot of teachers in quarantine, that of course takes away the student supervision in terms of teaching and learning,” HCS spokesperson Craig Williams said when classroom activities were suspended.

Meanwhile, the Alabama Department of Public Health rolled out plans for distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available.

In a best-case scenario, one would be available to select individuals by the end of this year and to the general public in 2021.

If available the first persons to receive the vaccine will be those at high risk, including those with serious illness, health care workers and first responders.

“We want to assure the public that there will be (an) equitable distribution of vaccine to all Alabamians, especially to vulnerable populations in rural and urban areas,” State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said in a news release.

According to the release, several vaccine products are currently in clinical trials and will be released after their safety has been reviewed and approved by a panel of health experts. The vaccine will be provided free of charge.

The plan has three phases — critical populations, provider recruitment and enrollment, and many additional sections pertaining to vaccine. These include storage and handling, documentation and reporting, second-dose reminders, regulatory considerations, vaccine safety and program monitoring.

Phase 1: potentially limited doses of vaccine will be available and they will be targeted to those at highest risk and highest risk of exposure, first responders and healthcare workers who care for those with critical needs.
Phase 2: large numbers of doses will be available, and supply is likely to meet demand. Educational efforts will target critical populations who were not vaccinated in Phase 1.
Phase 3: there is likely to be a sufficient supply and all unvaccinated groups will be targeted. Special attention will be directed to populations or communities with low vaccine coverage.

The complete plan may be viewed at alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/assets/adph-covid19-vaccination-plan.pdf.

Operation Warp Speed, the federal program to make available 300 million doses of a vaccine by early 2021, is a plan to shorten a normal six-year vaccine approval process.

To volunteer for vaccine trials visit https://www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/