Chicago – There is some debate as to who among 50 million Americans should line up for the next wave coronavirus vaccines. States are starting to make their own list of priorities, while unions say their members should go first.
We are in almost two weeks with more than 600,000 vaccines administered, including the country’s top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, who got the vaccine Tuesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the next group should be those 75 and older and key frontline workers – but that’s 49 million people. Just under 5 million doses have been administered so far.
Sylvia Tanguma, who leads the teachers’ union in McAllen, Texas, said she feels she is competing with other vital workers for the vaccine. Tanguma eats in her car so she doesn’t take off her mask at school.
On Monday, Texas announced that the next group to be vaccinated will be those aged 65 and over or at high risk – not the teachers as a whole.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott “needs to consider how many teachers we have and how badly we are needed,” Tanguma said.
After examining the rise in New York City, the CDC found that correction officers are the most exposed, which is why Chicago’s Anthony McGee believes they should be given priority.
“They must pass out drugs,” said McGee, the vice president of Teamsters Local 700. “They must pass out food. There is no way for our members not to have direct contact with prisoners.”
Dr. Infectious disease specialist Aileen Marty says the order of vaccinations should be both ethical and strategic.
“If you vaccinate the right group of people, you’re going to flatten the curve faster,” said Marty.
But the CDC says even those in line will wait at least a month.