NEW YORK: US companies and industry groups trying to move their workers to the front of the line for a COVID-19 vaccine remain confused about conflicting state and local guidelines on how shots will be administered and to which workers, even as millions of doses make their way across the country.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices was faced with the tough choice of ranking a vast group of essential workers who, according to a list by the US Department of Homeland Security, make up nearly 70 per cent of the US labour force. The lack of coordinated plans has led dozens of industry groups and individual companies, including Amazon.com and Uber Technologies, to lobby state and federal officials to move their workers closer to the front of the line.Several states including New York, Massachusetts and Michigan do not follow the panel's recommendations and have instead drafted their own list of essential workers to be prioritised for a vaccine.
"We ask that you continue to provide federal leadership to state and local leaders and reinforce the need to provide early vaccine access for essential critical infrastructure workers, including rideshare drivers and delivery people," the letter read. "It's for this reason that nothing has changed about our concerns about the piecemeal state vaccination playbooks," a spokeswoman said.