Coronavirus Vaccine Bill Passes State Assembly

Friday, January 29th, 2021 -- 11:07 AM

(WMTV) A bill mandating who state health officials prioritize for receiving the coronavirus vaccine cleared its first hurdle in the Assembly on Thursday and will now head to the state Senate.

The legislation would also require the Dept. of Health Services to include in its vaccine distribution plan recommendations to open access to the vaccine to the general public by mid-March.

According to the bill, everyone over 60 years old would be among those given the highest priority in a Dept. of Health Services plan.  While it does not list a priority for frontline healthcare workers, the proposal does list which groups would be considered non-healthcare-related essential frontline workers.

They include first responders, food and agricultural workers, manufacturing workers, education and childcare workers.  Many first responders are already getting vaccinated under DHS current rollout schedule and a recent update to its vaccination plan set a timeline for food service, education, and other groups, with vaccinations for them starting approximately March 1.

The DHS plan does not include manufacturing workers, however.  State health officials would also have to submit a plan to lawmakers by the end of February that would establish a procedure for vaccinating the general public and it requires that plan to go into effect no later than March 15. 

Opponents of the bill argued that the bill’s requirements may not be able to keep up with federal supply levels.

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