Where Do Urgent Care Providers Fall in the Recommended Order of COVID-19 Vaccination?

As many as 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccine may be available in the United States by the end of this year. While that’s clearly good news, it’s significantly fewer than will be needed to offer widespread protection and make a dent in the pandemic. That being the case, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has issued its official recommendations on who should be able to be immunized first (and second, and third…). Healthcare workers—including urgent care center employees who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials—will be the first to be offered a COVID-19 shot, followed by residents of long-term care facilities. Those two groups add up to roughly 24 million people. The next group would be anyone over age 65, those with medical conditions that put them in a higher-risk category, and essential workers (defined as those who work in education, food, transportation, and law). The rest of the population would be the last to be offered the vaccine. An article in The New York Times predicts that last phase would be rolled out in the second quarter of 2021. Bear in mind when discussing the status of the vaccines with patients that the timeline laid out in the Times article could move more quickly or slowly, depending on production schedules and whether or not there are any issues with the vaccines. You can read more about the ACIP recommendations here.