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Dear Mr. Larson,
Thank you for your email regarding vaccinations and convenience store employees.
As you know, COVID-19 vaccines are currently severely limited in number. We wish there were enough vaccines available for everyone who wants to get vaccinated, but unfortunately at this time that is not the case.
All essential workers are in phase 1 of vaccination. There is no doubt that all retail workers including convenience store workers provide necessary goods and services and are essential workers who need to be vaccinated in phase 1. Because we have limited supply of vaccine, we do need to prioritize even within phase 1 to ensure that those at risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19 have access to the vaccine. We announced today, based on new federal guidance, Wyoming’s phase 1b includes those individuals at increased risk for severe illness, including individuals over 65 and individuals aged 16-64 with underlying medical conditions. Most essential workers, as defined by the CISA Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers guidance and exempted from the public health orders, will be vaccinated in phase 1c. For example, government functions are considered essential by CISA and were exempted from the public health orders, but most government workers, including those of us at the Department of Health that do not take care of patients, will be vaccinated in 1c. In addition, most types of retail workers will be vaccinated in 1c.
WDH, with advice from the Wyoming Medical Ethics Committee, is closely following the guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine priority groups. While most essential workers are in 1c, the groups of public health experts I named above have provided specific guidance on which essential workers should be moved to 1a and 1b in order to preserve the health and safety of the population while still ensuring vaccine access to those at most risk of severe illness and death. The ACIP specifically recommends specific types of essential workers, like healthcare providers, law enforcement, teachers, and grocery store workers be in 1b, since disruption of these services would have devastating consequences on health and safety. Other types of retail, while essential and entail some interactions with the public, are included in 1c.
Thank you again for your email,
Alexia Harrist MD, PhD
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