First COVID-19 Vaccine Doses To Go To Health Workers, Say CDC Advisers

Health care workers will almost certainly get the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. when one is approved, according to Dr. José Romero, head of the committee that develops evidence-based immunization guidelines for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's a decision based on the science of what will quell the pandemic fastest. 'It's not just the doctors and nurses that are interacting with patients, but also the support personnel that help,' Romero said in an interview Thursday with NPR. 'It could include those persons that are delivering food, or maintenance people that could come in contact with them,' so they can protect themselves and patients from the virus, and stay healthy to keep the U.S. health care system running. Romero chairs the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, a longstanding CDC advisory group that includes 15 voting members, plus other vaccination experts who weigh in.