NEW ORLEANS — Healthcare workers and nursing home residents should be at the front of the line when the first coronavirus vaccine shots become available, an influential government advisory panel says.
The Center for Disease Control’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted 13-1 on Tuesday to recommend priority to be given to those groups in the first days of any coming vaccination program when those doses are expected to be very limited.
The two priority groups encompass around 24 million Americans out of a U.S. population of about 330 million.
The committee will meet at a later time to determine who should be next in line. Other priority groups that have not yet been formally approved include essential personnel and seniors and people with existing medical conditions. Other possibilities include teachers, police, firefighters, food production, and transportation workers.
According to the New Orleans city government’s website, here is an estimated timeline based on current projections:
- December 2020: Priority Group A - Healthcare workers and nursing home residents
- Early 2021: Priority Group B - Essential Personnel
- Early 2021: Priority Group C - Seniors and people with existing medical conditions
- Spring / Summer 2021 - General Public including children and healthy adults
Current estimates project that no more than 20 million doses of each vaccine will be available by the end of 2020. And each product requires two doses.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.