Advisory Panel Says Frontline Essential Workers Should Be On Priority In The Distribution Of Moderna Vaccine

An Advisory Panel at the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that frontline essential workers and elderly people in the age range of 75 years and above should be next in line to get the Moderna Inc vaccine for COVID19. Moderna vaccine is the second one to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The distribution of this vaccine has started across the nation. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has voted in favor of the vaccine. Health experts have said that first responders, teachers, food and agriculture, manufacturing, the US Postal Service, public transit, and grocery store workers should receive Moderna Vaccine in the next round. This move will make another 51 million people entitled to the vaccine in the next round. The panel has said that nearly 200 million people along with non-frontline workers such as media professionals, finance, energy and IT, and communication sectors should be included in the following round. People in the age range of 65 to 74 years and those in the age group of 14 to 24 years with high-risk conditions as well should be given the vaccine in the next round of vaccination.

States, which have started giving the shots to their residents, are expected to follow the panel’s suggestions to make a plan for distributing the vaccine when supplies are limited. Experts have said that vaccination against the disease will help in reviving large parts of the economy. It will reduce the risk of outbreaks at crowded meatpacking plants, factories, and warehouses as well. However, there has been a lot of confusion over who is regarded as essential during the pandemic. Many firms and industry groups have been trying to get their workers in the US in line to get the vaccines after healthcare staff and long-term facility residents. United Parcel Service Inc (UPS) and FedEx Corp have started transporting the doses of the vaccine from warehouses to hospitals and other locations. Vials of Modern vaccine have been filled at Catalent Inc facility in Bloomington, Indiana. McKesson Corp has been sending the doses of Moderna vaccine across the country including Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis, which are located nearby air hubs for FedEx and UPS. The officials from FedEx and UPS have said that the shipment is going smoothly as planned.

While the distribution of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is taking place in the US, the officials from the CDC have been looking at a new strain of the virus, which has emerged in the UK. Experts have said that the mutation of the virus shows that people should follow all the precautions to keep themselves safe while they wait for the vaccine. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the new strain of the virus has increased the number of infections. The UK government has applied strict restrictions across London and nearby areas considering surging cases. New restrictions have disrupted the holiday plans of millions of people in the UK. Experts have said that this variant of the virus is 70 percent more contagious than the original strain. It has raised many concerns over the extensive spread of the virus in the UK. Many European nations such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Italy have said that they have stopped their citizens from traveling to Britain. They have been planning to ban the flights and trains from commuting to the UK. The distribution of the Moderna vaccine will take place in more than 3700 sites in the US, which will expand the vaccine rollout, which has been started by Pfizer and its German partner BioNtech. The US Government has been planning to deliver 5.9 million Moderna shots and 2 million Pfizer vaccines this week. A report from the CDC has shown that nearly 2.84 million doses of vaccines have been allocated and around 556208 doses have been given to people so far.