After outcry, teachers will also get vaccinated in west-end pilot project

After initially being limited to parents, a vaccination blitz aimed at controlling a more contagious variant of COVID-19 inCte Saint-Luc and the Snowdonarea of Montreal has been expanded to teachers as well.

The vaccination campaign, announced Thursday, targets parents of school- and daycare-aged children in the two areas andinitially did not include school staff.

Dr. Mylne Drouin, Montreal's public health director, announced Friday that school staffin direct contact with students would also be eligible.

Teachershad initially expressed disappointment that they wouldn't be inoculated, and Education Minister Jean-Franois Robergealso voiced his concern.

On Thursday,Drouinhad kept the door open to also vaccinating daycare workers and teachers but said the focus would be on parents for now.

She said the coronavirus variant first identified in the United Kingdomhas been spreading quickly in the two areas in the past several weeks.

The campaign, which begins next Monday, is an attempt to stop it from making its wayinto other parts of the city.