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 The vaccination campaign under way is now focused on hospital staff
and nursing homes, tightly controlled environments where
verification is relatively simple. But beginning in January or
February, Americans employed in a range of industries will be
eligible for innoculation, provided they are essential frontline
workers.
The absence of a plan to verify vaccine candidates' jobs and
confusion over who qualifies as essential raise the risks of fraud
and disorganization.
WHO DECIDES WHICH WORKER IS ESSENTIAL?
The criteria to qualify as an essential, frontline worker varies
from state to state. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention estimated that roughly 30 million essential workers will
be next in line for a shot. An additional 57 million essential
workers will be vaccinated later.
The lack of clear guidelines will significantly complicate the
verification process as those workers seek shots.
The United States has two authorized COVID-19 vaccines, one from
Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE and another from Moderna Inc. The
vaccines are rolling out as hospitals reach peak capacity and deaths
have exceeded 317,000.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security in March published a list
of essential U.S. workers during the pandemic. https://bit.ly/3aBDtFx
The list covers nearly 70% of the U.S. labor force and has provided
little clarity to health officials trying to distribute initially
limited doses of vaccines.
Many states over the summer began developing their own priority
lists, at times deferring to the importance of local industries.
States generally have broad discretion when it comes to vaccine
distribution.
This has resulted in a patchwork of guidelines across the country,
with companies complaining that their workers are considered
essential in one state, but not in another.
A panel of experts that advises the CDC on Sunday recommended that
people people 75 and older and workers including first responders,
teachers, food and agriculture, manufacturing, U.S. Postal Service,
public transit and grocery store workers should have the next
priority for the vaccines.
Some U.S. states have signalled they will nevertheless continue with
the distribution plans they originally drafted.
Michael Einhorn, the president of New York medical supply
distributor Dealmed, criticized health officials’ decisions to
prioritize essential workers for the next phase of the vaccine,
rather than distributing it along age lines.
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 “There will be people trying to
cut the line and commit fraud to get a vaccine,”
said Einhorn, whose company has been involved in
flu shot distribution. HOW WILL
ELIGIBILITY BE CONFIRMED FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS?
It is not clear yet how health departments and pharmacies will
verify the identity of a significantly larger and more diverse group
of people eligible for the next round of vaccines.
Pharmacy operators CVS, Walgreens and Kroger Co each referred to
state and local guidelines when asked how they would verify
essential workers. "If the jurisdiction requests
support from Walgreens, the jurisdiction will distribute a voucher
or authorization form that the individual can use to schedule an
appointment for a vaccination," a Walgreens spokeswoman said in a
statement.
CVS said it would share more information once it got closer to the
next phase of vaccine distribution in the first quarter of 2021.
Kroger in a statement said it would require customers to make an
online appointment and use a screening tool to manage the
verification process.
"In some instances, the state will identify and verify the
individuals before they are referred to us for vaccination," a
Kroger spokeswoman said.
States have not outlined how they will verify workers' identities.
Companies pushing to have their workers vaccinated are exploring
different options.
The Consumer Brands Association, which represents food, beverage,
personal care and household product companies, and the Food Industry
Association, representing food retailers, said they were developing
template letters for employees to verify their essential worker
status.
 "We understand states may have different designation standards, but
(we are) working to provide our members with a resource to help
reduce confusion," a spokeswoman for the Food Industry Association
said in a statement.
(Reporting by Tina Bellon in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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