California Identifies Who Is Next To Receive Vaccine

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Sonora, CA — Next month California is planning to give incoming rounds of COVID-19 vaccine to groups like first responders, teachers and food industry workers.

Beginning in early January, an estimated 8-million additional doses of the vaccine will be available in the state. Officials report that at least 1.4 million doses will be set aside for education and childcare workers (K-12, preschool, higher education, trade schools, etc.). 3.4-million doses are going to food and agriculture sector workers (restaurants, bakeries, grocers, field workers, butchers, florists, and others). 1.1 million will go to emergency service providers (police, firefighters, shelters, youth services, criminal justice workers and social services).

The over 6 million workers in those fields total about half of the state’s defined “essential workforce.”

The priority list was made by a 16-member panel of medical experts assigned by the state, and they weighed the “societal impact” of the job when making the recommendations.

The first doses arriving this week are going to healthcare workers on the front lines of the pandemic and assisted care facilities.