NWRA Represented at Federal COVID Vaccine Distribution Meeting
Association Urges Waste Collection Workers Follow Healthcare Workers in Vaccine Distribution
Arlington, VA – The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) was represented by John Skoutelas of member company Waste Management at the most recent meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP has been meeting regularly to advise on the prioritization of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
“I appreciate John, Cara Simaga from Stericycle and Shawn Mandel from Waste Connections for helping us prepare for the meeting,” said NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith. “Since early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been engaged with federal and state agencies, working to ensure our member companies had the resources they needed to ensure waste collection continued.”
NWRA had previously sent a letter to the CDC urging the agency to accept the recommendation of the ACIP. The ACIP recommended that essential workers, as identified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), should receive a COVID-19 vaccine after healthcare workers. Waste collection workers are classified as essential workers.
During this national emergency, at the request of NWRA, DHS’s Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Administration classified waste collection workers as “essential” under five different “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” categories. Waste and Recycling workers were placed on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s COVID-19 vaccine priority list in response to a request from the Association.
NWRA is the leading safety, education and advocacy association for the waste industry.
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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
