(Updates Walgreens spokeswoman’s statement)
Dec 23 (Reuters) – As US industries push for their workers to get early access to COVID-19 vaccines, local health departments and pharmacies face the challenge of verifying the identities of key workers to ensure that no one breaks the boundary.
The ongoing vaccination campaign is now targeting hospital workers and nursing homes, tightly controlled environments where verification is relatively easy. But as of January or February, Americans working in a variety of industries will be eligible for vaccination, provided they are essential frontline workers.
The lack of a plan to verify the jobs of vaccine candidates and confusion about who could be classified as essential increases the risk of fraud and disorganization.
WHO DECIDES WHICH EMPLOYEE IS ESSENTIAL?
The criteria for qualifying as an essential first-line worker vary from state to state. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 30 million essential workers will be next in line for an opportunity. A further 57 million essential workers will later be vaccinated.
The lack of clear guidelines will make the verification process significantly more difficult as those employees are looking for shots.
The United States has two authorized COVID-19 vaccines, one from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE and one from Moderna Inc. The vaccines are rolling out as hospitals reach their maximum capacity and deaths have exceeded 317,000.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a list of key U.S. workers during the pandemic in March. bit.ly/3aBDtFx
The list covers nearly 70% of the US workforce and has provided little clarity to health officials who initially tried to distribute limited doses of vaccines.
Many states began developing their own priority lists over the summer, sometimes putting off the importance of local industries. States generally have wide discretion when it comes to the distribution of vaccines.
This has led to a patchwork of guidelines across the country, with companies complaining that their employees are considered essential in one state but not in another.
An expert panel advising the CDC on Sunday recommended that people 75 and older and workers, including first responders, teachers, food and agriculture, manufacturing, U.S. Postal Service, public transportation, and supermarket workers, should be next prioritized for the vaccines.
Some US states have indicated that they will nevertheless continue with the distribution plans they originally set up.
Michael Einhorn, the president of New York medical supplies distributor Dealmed, criticized health officials’ decisions to prioritize essential workers for the next stage of the vaccine, rather than distribute it according to age limits.
“There will be people trying to break the line and commit fraud to get a vaccine,” said Einhorn, whose company is involved in the distribution of flu shots.
HOW WILL ELIGIBILITY BE CONFIRMED FOR ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES?
It is not yet clear how health departments and pharmacies will verify the identity of a significantly larger and more diverse group of people who are eligible for the next round of vaccination.
Pharmacy operators CVS, Walgreens and Kroger Co each referred to national and local guidelines when asked how they would verify key employees.
“If the jurisdiction requests Walgreens support, Walgreens will issue a voucher or authorization form that the person can use to schedule a vaccination appointment,” a Walgreens spokeswoman said in a statement.
CVS said it would share more information as it gets closer to the next phase of vaccine distribution in the first quarter of 2021.
Kroger said in a statement that customers should book an online appointment and use a screening tool to manage the verification process.
“In some cases, the state will identify and verify the individuals before referring them to us for vaccination,” said a Kroger spokeswoman.
States have not set out how they will verify employee identities. Companies pushing for vaccination of their employees are exploring several options.
The Consumer Brands Association, which represents food, beverage, personal care and household products, and the Food Industry Association, which represents food retailers, said they were developing template letters for employees to verify their essential employee status.
“We understand that states may have different designation standards, but (we are) working to provide our members with a resource to reduce confusion,” a Food Industry Association spokeswoman said in a statement. (Reported by Tina Bellon and Melissa Fares in New York; edited by Cynthia Osterman)