Frontline healthcare and public safety workers are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as the national vaccination rollout picks up steam after a slow start.
Should we now pause and ask who should be at the head of the next vaccination line? Should we vaccinate people most at risk for contracting COVID-19 or vaccinate with the goal of slowing the virus’ spread?
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio raised this question on Tuesday when he pleaded for delivery, convenience store and bodega workers who repeatedly have close contact with the public to get added to New York’s Phase 1b vaccination list.
“They’re coming in contact with us, they’re serving us, we depend on them,” de Blasio said.
Under Massachusetts’ Phase 1 vaccination plan, people in high-risk, close-contact jobs, such as corrections and homeless shelters, are vaccination priorities.
Phase 2, scheduled to begin in February, covers a much broader vaccination list that includes teachers, transit, grocery, sanitation, utility, and food and agriculture workers. Phase 3 vaccinations for the general public come in April.
Lynn had 2,110 active COVID-19 cases as of Jan. 13 and Mayor Thomas M. McGee has repeatedly pointed the finger at residential social gatherings as major culprits for the virus’ spread.
But crowded housing conditions with family members, including people who in their jobs come in close and repeated contact with the public, are also an acknowledged COVID-19 spreader.
Again, does it make sense to prioritize vaccinations for people most at risk of spreading the virus and most at risk of contracting it?
Answering this question requires close communication between city and town health agents and state health officials. The answer will vary from community to community.
Lynn and Revere, with their densely-populated neighborhoods, might consider focusing on prioritizing vaccinations for people in large households or working jobs where they come in contact with a lot of people.
With their large senior populations, Swampscott, Lynnfield, Nahant and Marblehead might focus on vaccinating older residents, while Salem and Peabody vaccinate with the goal of getting businesses and schools open.
The state has rolled out a methodical schedule for getting everyone vaccinated. But is it the best plan for slowing, then stopping COVID-19’s spread? And is the plan nimble enough to prioritize slowing the virus’ spread in specific communities?
Vaccination is the light at the end of the tunnel in the COVID-19 nightmare. We urge public officials to study how the virus has spread and decide in an expedited manner if residents most vulnerable for contracting and spreading the virus should be moved ahead on the vaccination list.
