US restaurant workers recommended for early round of Covid-19 vaccine
Earlier this week, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that 'essential restaurant workers' would be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccination on 1 February.
The decision will also apply to foodservice employees that work in DC but reside in either Virginia and Maryland.
It comes after The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended in December that foodservice workers be included in round 1c of the Coronavirus vaccination distribution under the 'other essential workers' designation.
Round 1c denotes the third round of the first phase of the country's vaccine distribution program.
In the UK there have been suggestions that those in customer-facing jobs may be in line for inoculation during the second phase of the UK's Coronavirus vaccine rollout, which will come into effect after all those aged 50 and over have received their jab.
According to The Telegraph, Professor Wei Shen Lim, chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s Covid working group, said the type of job people do would help determine their place in the vaccine pecking order.
He added that teachers and health care workers would be a clear priority, but that others would be considered too.
The UK's phase two priority list is yet to be completed, but Prof Lim said it would be given to ministers in the next few weeks.
With vaccine distribution in the US regulated individually by each state, it is not known definitively how many other areas of the country will also follow the CDC's suggestions.
Eater Chicago reported earlier this week that the city's restaurant foodservice employees could also begin receiving access to the vaccine from next month.
Chicago foodservice employees who work at hospitals began receiving the vaccine this week.
Meanwhile in New York it is reported that phase four of the vaccination rollout will cover 'other essential workers' including foodservice employees. However, it remains unclear when that phase will begin.
