NWRA Releases State COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Tracker
Arlington, VA – Today, the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) released its state COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Tracker, which identifies how states are expected to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine. This comes as NWRA recently sent a letter to the nation’s governors urging the states to follow guidance that would put waste collection workers in line for the vaccine after healthcare workers.
“From the beginning of the pandemic, we have been working with the federal and state governments to ensure waste collection workers have the resources they need to operate safely. We urged them to follow the guidance from the Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to include the waste and recycling industry as a part of their states’ vaccine distribution plans,” said NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith. “We appreciate the collaboration and support we have received from state governments to that end.”
“The response from the states has been overwhelmingly positive. Governors and state officials recognize that our industry is critical, and most continue to operate during the global pandemic,” said NWRA Vice President of State Affairs Abby Blocker. “Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services, for example, said, ‘Waste management critical workers are included with other critical infrastructure workers in phase 1B.’”
NWRA has consistently advocated for the waste and recycling industry to receive the COVID-19 vaccine after healthcare workers, as waste collection workers have been deemed “essential” under five different “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” categories and placed on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s COVID-19 vaccine priority list in response to a request from NWRA.
NWRA has also been in communication with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, urging the agency in a letter to accept the recommendation of the ACIP that essential workers, as identified by the Department of Homeland Security, should receive a COVID-19 vaccine after healthcare workers.
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ABOUT NWRA
The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) represents the private sector waste and recycling services industry. Association members conduct business in all 50 states and include companies that manage waste, recycling and medical waste, equipment manufacturers and distributors, and a variety of other service providers. For more information about NWRA, please visit www.wasterecycling.org.
Contact
Brandon Wright
National Waste and Recycling Association
bwright@wasterecycling.org
202-364-3706
