A panel for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Dec. 20 that frontline essential workers, including public transit workers, are among the next group of people to be prioritized to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The recommendation is for Phase 1b, the prioritization tier directly following health care personnel, who are currently receiving the first round of vaccines.

This important news reflects how important the transportation industry is to our nation’s recovery. As final decisions in vaccine prioritization will take place at the state-level, General Manager and CEO Nuria Fernandez previously joined other regional transit general managers and transit association representatives in signing a letter to Governor Newsom urging that transit workers be prioritized in receiving the vaccine.

"We will continue our advocacy on the matter and, with the weight of this decision by the CDC, we are optimistic that public transit workers will soon be receiving the vaccination in California," said Fernandez.

When the vaccines will be available for Phase 1b is still to be determined and will depend upon the production and availability.