On Friday night, the FDA formally issued Emergency Use Authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Vaccinations of frontline healthcare workers could begin within days, pending a vote by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The ACIP met Friday afternoon to review the data and will hold an emergency meeting on Saturday. Its approval is the last step in the process.
The ACIP has recommended that vaccines, which will be initially limited, be prioritized for healthcare workers, senior care workers, first responders, and residents of long-term care facilitates. They have not yet discussed vaccination of other essential workers, which of course includes grocery store employees and other frontline personnel. States have already begun this discussion but federal guidance will be forthcoming.
The ACIP has just scheduled two additional emergency meetings for December 18 and 20, so federal guidance on vaccine prioritization for non-healthcare and non-seniorcare essential workers could come at that time.