NCC this week sent letters to governors requesting priority access to vaccines once they become available for critical infrastructure workers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on December 1 voted 13-1 to approve the recommendation that the first available COVID-19 vaccines should be distributed to essential healthcare personnel and older adults, specifically those residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
Those highest-priority groups are known as Phase 1A of the CDC’s vaccine distribution plan. Phase 1B includes the broad group of workers deemed “essential” by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), which includes chicken processing workers. The recommendations are not binding, but many states have since announced they plan to follow the recommendations made by ACIP.
Each state was required to file a COVID-19 vaccination plan with the CDC. Those plans can be found here.
“A vaccine is the next tool in the toolbox for us to add to the many safety measures in place,” the letter read. “As such, we ask that our essential workers be given the next highest priority for receiving the vaccine behind our nation’s healthcare workers, first responders, and high-risk individuals.”
“While we wait for approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), we want to reemphasize the importance of priority access to a vaccine for those who work in food and agriculture – particularly those who have been working tirelessly in the chicken industry.”
Letters were sent to the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
The letters were also shared with each state’s top agriculture and healthcare officials.
A generic copy of the letter can be found here.
