City says vaccine priority is front-line staff, but some residents are rankled by process
Houston’s internal vaccination program for city employees, much like the public system that has been overwhelmed by demand, is working to conform to sometimes vague state guidelines as health officials prioritize who they poke first.
Meanwhile, a handful of agencies still are coordinating their plans for offering vaccines to workers who are not police or firefighters but still staff critical functions for local and state government.
Front-line workers in Houston including police, firefighters, health officials and street maintenance crews are receiving vaccines through the city’s internal program, which began administering the Moderna vaccine earlier this week. Officials said more than 260 workers were included in that first phase, though thousands of city workers received notice via email on how to register to receive the vaccine.
While some jobs obviously qualify, such as police officers, firefighters and EMTs who interact with the public regularly, the limits of exactly what that means can be applied subjectively. No specific breakdown details exactly what jobs are and are not eligible.
Houston is following state guidelines from the Texas Department of State Health Services which used a panel of health officials to prioritize allocation, said Porfirio Villareal, spokesman for the city health department. He noted the panel said priority is given to “front-line workers who are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the nature of their work providing critical services and preserving the economy.”
Under that criteria, workers in
some departments would be among the first to receive a dose while others may be among the last in line.
“Houston Health Department staff vaccinating or testing people who may have COVID-19 qualify but not the food inspector supervisor’s administrative assistant who has no interactions with the public,” Villareal said.
Staff fromvarious departments lined up for shots Monday, including Houston Public Works and the city’s Solid Waste Department.
Officials received vaccines on Monday, including Public Works Director Carol Haddock. Public Works spokeswoman Erin Jones said officials and scores of employees in the department are first responders because of the crucial role they play in city operations: Road crews often work with police to maintain traffic, and are among those out during major storms responding to crises. Trash removal is a crucial part of the city continuing to provide services.
Leaders of the police, fire and other departments were among those who received doses in keeping with their roles as critical workers and to encourage staff and the public to get the vaccine, officials said.
The vaccinations, however, rankled some Houston residents who questioned how city staffers and department directors were getting doses before elderly nursing home residents.
“I have not seen my mother except through a window a handful of times and perfectly healthy people are getting the vaccine? It doesn’t seem right,” said Sheryl Graves, 52, who lives two miles from her mother’s Westchase-area nursing home. “Firefighters I understand, and nurses. Police.… You should not get ahead in line because you work for the city.”
Villareal said the city only has included people in groups 1A and 1B of the state’s criteria, with 1A being the first responders.
Those vaccinated as part of 1B include employees 65 or older and any adult with at least one chronic medical condition putting them at increased risk of severe illness or death.
As the city proceeds with vaccinating some of its staffers, workers at other agencies with frequent public contact still are waiting. Metropolitan Transit Authority, which has seen more than 300 of its 4,200 workers test positive over the past 10 months, still is determining how it might deliver vaccines, spokesman Jerome Gray said.
“We are looking at various options to provide the vaccines which could include through health care vendors, much like we do with the flu vaccine,” Gray said.
Bus drivers, fare inspectors and police, in particular, come in frequent contact with the general public. Metro continues to require masks be worn on buses and trains, though some riders say the rule often is ignored and enforcement sometimes is lax.
Because of the risks, Gray said drivers have expressed “a great deal of interest” in the vaccine, and some already have received it unrelated to their work at Metro.
Receiving a shot, he said, is encouraged by Metro.
“While we could require it, our approach would be to encourage operators and other employees to get the vaccine, much like we do with the flu vaccine,” Gray said.