Give 1st doses to health staffs

Health care workers and nursing home residents should be first in line for COVID-19 vaccinations once shots become available, a federal panel of infectious disease experts said Tuesday.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, an outside group of medical experts that reports to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, voted 13-1 to prioritize the two categories for vaccinations.

The vote was expected, as healthcare workers are at an exceedingly high risk of contracting the virus, while nursing home residents make up a disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S.

The ACIP, which was founded in 1964 to advise the federal government on immunization practices, will meet again later this month to decide who should be next in line.

Front-line workers like teachers, police officers,firefightersand workers in other essential fields such as food production and transportation could be up next.

The ACIP vote comes as the Food and Drug Administration is pouring over data for two vaccine candidates submitted by Pfizerand Moderna for emergency approval. Trump administration officials hope that the vaccines will earn approval this month, with doses ready to roll out to states by the end of the year.

Current estimates project that no more than 20 million doses of each vaccine will be available by the end of 2020, and each product requires two doses.

Health care workers and nursing home residents make up about 24 million Americans.

Only after those groups and other high-risk groups get immunized would regular Americans get a shot at the 90%-plus protection promised by vaccine manufacturers. Federal officialshope all Americans can get access to shots by next summer.