For months, essential workers have put their own health on the line to take care of others and keep the country running. But as states face the difficult decision of who to give limited doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to, the question becomes, who is more essential?
The term “essential worker” was first used by states and localities to make exceptions to stay-at-home orders in the early stages of the pandemic. But each different state, local, tribal, and territorial governments have applied differing definitions.
In March, Christopher Krebs, Director of the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, issued guidance that identified several categories of essential workers.
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The list covered workers in health care, law enforcement, first responders, food and agriculture, energy, water and wastewater, transportation and logistics, public works and infrastructure support services, communications and information technology, community and government, manufacturing, hazardous materials, financial services, chemical, defense, shelter and hygiene.
One thing is for sure, there aren’t enough vaccinations for all essential workers, several sources told Reuters. And there’s plenty of competition. A report from The Los Angeles Times says some wealthy Californians are offering doctors tens of thousands of dollars and having their personal assistants call physicians every day in an effort to get their hands on the vaccine.
At the moment, the power to determine who gets the vaccine lies in the hands of those who distribute it, namely health departments and pharmacies. Reuters asked pharmacy operators CVS, Walgreens and Kroger Co, which all referred to state and local guidelines.
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“If the jurisdiction requests support from Walgreens, Walgreens will distribute a voucher or authorization form that the individual can use to schedule an appointment for a vaccination,” a Walgreens spokeswoman said in a statement to Reuters.
“In some instances, the state will identify and verify the individuals before they are referred to us for vaccination,” a Kroger spokesperson told Reuters.
This raises more questions about how essential workers will have to prove their identity on top of those that still remain. But two organizations — the Consumer Brands Association and the Food Industry Association — told Reuters they're doing their best to navigate the guidelines.
“We understand states may have different designation standards, but (we are) working to provide our members with a resource to help reduce confusion,” a spokesperson for the Food Industry Association said in a statement to Reuters.
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December 24, 2020 at 07:12AM
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