Member Alert: Media included in PA priority vaccine distribution

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) has announced that they have adopted the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations on the prioritization of vaccine distribution. “Media” is included in the list of “essential workers” that should receive a vaccine in Phase 1c. Newspaper production personnel would also arguably be included in Phase 1 b. Here is the breakdown of the two Groups as recommended by ACIP:

Phase 1b Group (49 million people). This group includes police, firefighters, teachers and school personnel; food and agriculture workers; manufacturing workers; corrections workers; U.S. Postal Service workers; public transit and grocery store workers. This group also includes 19 million seniors 75 years old or older.
Phase 1c Group (129 million people). This group includes the remaining seniors, 65-74 (28 million people), and other “essential workers” (20 million people) in Transportation and Logistics, Food Service, Shelter & Housing (including construction), Finance, IT & Communication, Energy, Media, Legal, Public Safety (Engineers), Water & Wastewater. This group also includes people between the ages of 16-64 with high-risk conditions (81 million people).

The CDC references the essential workers including those identified in the critical infrastructure sectors. The news-related definition in CISA guidance is on Page 16. “Workers who support radio, television, and media service, including, but not limited to front-line news reporters, studio, and technicians for newsgathering, and reporting, and publishing news.”

View the DOH vaccination plan and the plan’s phases.

For further information, please contact Holly Lubart, Director of Government Affairs.

< previous post

next post >