(The Center Square) — Meat industry groups are urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to prioritize the COVID-19 vaccination for the men and women who work in the meat and poultry industry.
Nationally, nearly 50,000 meatpacking employees have tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least 253 have died.
The first wave will include health care personnel and residents of long-term care facilities. Essential workers will be considered next, but with limited vaccine doses and a lot of workers considered essential, the jockeying is underway on which ones should go to the front of the line.
Federal guidelines consider almost 70% of Americans to be working in essential industries. So there are now a large group of companies and trade groups making their cases to federal and state authorities.
Jennifer Tirey, executive director of the Illinois Pork Producers Association, said it is important to keep meatpacking workers healthy.
“You may recall earlier this year we had a breakdown in the supply chain because we had several packing plants either close down completely for a couple days or slow down, which caused an impact on consumers getting products from their local grocery stores,” Tirey said.
Tirey said Illinois plants are up to around 95%, but will never get to 100% because of social distancing measures.
The North American Meat Institute, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and the National Pork Producers Council have all asked governors to consider workers including inspectors and livestock producers be given priority regarding the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
Another group that wants to be considered is the International Foodservice Distributors Association.
“Ensuring the continuing supply of food to foodservice customers is a critical government responsibility and state vaccination plans must ensure that foodservice distributors are a priority industry,” President and CEO Mark Allen said. “It is critical that the men and women who work in the warehouses and drive the trucks to deliver these products can safely continue to fulfill their vital mission.”
The CDC will continue to consider how to best distribute the vaccines, but ultimately it is up to each state to decide who gets the shots when.
