BUTTE COUNTY, CA (MPG) – Now that vaccinations for the Coronavirus have been released, who gets it and when?

Due to limited supplies of the two approved COVID -19 vaccinations, Pfizer’s BioNTech and Moderna, in the United States, the CDC has provided recommendations to federal, state and local governments on how to distribute them. The Center for Disease Control and state/county health departments are currently prioritizing vaccinations for healthcare workers and high-risk residents of long-term care facilities. This is considered to be Phase 1-A of the vaccination schedule.

As more vaccinations arrive, the following phase guidelines will decide to whom the vaccinations are administrated to and when:

Phase 1b:                                   

Frontline essential workers such as fire fighters, police officers, corrections officers, food and agricultural workers, United States Postal Service workers, manufacturing workers, grocery store workers, public transit workers, and those who work in the educational sector (teachers, support staff, and daycare workers);

People aged 75 years and older because they are at high risk of hospitalization, illness, and death from COVID-19. People aged 75 years and older who are also long-term residents of care facilities.

Phase 1c:

People aged 65—74 years because they are at high risk of hospitalization, illness, and death from COVID-19. People aged 65—74 years who are also residents of long-term care facilities should be offered vaccination in Phase 1a;

People aged 16—64 years with underlying medical conditions which increase the risk of serious, life-threatening complications from COVID-19;

Other essential workers, such as people who work in transportation and logistics, food service, housing construction and finance, information technology, communications, energy, law, media, public safety, and public health.

The CDC says that “As vaccine availability increases, vaccination recommendations will expand to include more groups. The goal is for everyone to be able to easily get a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as large quantities of vaccine are available. As vaccine supply increases but remains limited, ACIP will expand the groups recommended for vaccination.”

This information and more can be found at CDC.gov/coronavirus.