Workers' Compensation: Vaccine Recommendations: Essential Workers and Seniors

Today the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices [ACIP] recommended the following phased allocation of COVID-19 \vaccination for both essential workers and seniors. Vaccination of essential workers will favorably impact workers' compensation losses, especially in those jurisdictions where rebuttable presumptions have been enacted that liberalize the burden of proof required to claim workers' compensation benefits.

ACIP Vote – Interim Recommendation

As an update to ACIP recommendations for vaccination in Phase 1a (health care personnel and long-term care facility residents), if COVID-19 vaccine supply is limited, the following groups should be offered vaccination:

Phase 1b: persons aged ≥75 years and frontline essential workers

Phase 1c: persons aged 65–74 years, persons aged 16–64 years with high-risk medical conditions, and other essential workers

As to essential workers:

Where sub-prioritization of frontline essential workers is needed due to limited vaccine supply, consider:

– Workers in locations where high rates of transmission and/or outbreaks have occurred

– Workers who are at increased risk for severe illness based on age or underlying medical conditions*

– Workers who do not have a history of documented acute SARS-CoV-2 infection in prior 90 days

Based on local epidemiology and implementation considerations, jurisdictions may choose to vaccinate frontline essential workers and persons who reside at congregate living facilities (e.g., prisons, jails, homeless shelters) at the same time.

Frontline Essential Workers (~30M)

-First Responders (Firefighters, Police)

-Education (teachers, support staff, daycare)

-Food & Agriculture

-Manufacturing

-Corrections workers

-U.S. Postal service workers

-Public transit workers

-Grocery store workers

Other Essential Workers (~57M)

-Transportation and logistics

-Food Service