Meat+Poultry - March 2021 - 8

C O M M E N TA R Y

Taking care of the front line
After a year filled with quarantines,
social distancing and mask wearing,
there is finally a light at the end
of the long, dark tunnel. Vaccine
distribution began in the United States
Dec. 14, 2020, and now, almost three
months later, vaccines are being
administered at a rate of 1.7 million
doses a day. By late February, those
numbers represented 15.3% of the US
population having been vaccinated so
far. Finally, some progress.
However, the process of vaccine
distribution is a logistical nightmare,
to say the least, with so many factors
to consider. Who should have access
to the vaccine first? Where should
the vaccines be administered? What
locations are accessible to the most
citizens? And, how can we get more
people trained to administer the
vaccines? So far, no one has the
obvious best answers to all those
questions. In fact, it often seems
like from one state to the next, it's a
free-for-all.
Everyone agreed at the end of
last year when the vaccine was being
prepped for distribution that health
care workers should be first in line for
the vaccine - alongside workers and
residents in long-term care facilities.
Next would be, first responders, older

citizens and teachers. And alongside
them, essential workers. The question
was, though, who in this time of health
crisis is considered " essential? "
In December 2020, meat association
trade groups encouraged governors
around the country to prioritize
workers in the meat and poultry
industry directly behind those in the
health care and long-term care facilities
to receive the vaccine. In short, they
wanted the meat and poultry processing
workers to be labeled " essential. " The
groups urged lawmakers to put meat
industry workers in the Phase 1b group
which would put them alongside first
responders and teachers on the priority
list for vaccines.
Perdue Farms followed up with
a letter to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) urging
the agency to do the same. Soon after,
the CDC moved meat and poultry
processing workers up into Phase 1b.
In early February, meat plants around
the country started coordinating with
local health departments and began
vaccinating their workforce.
Foster Farms was one of the first
meat companies to work with its health
department to administer the vaccine
to 1,000 employees at its Fresno,
Calif., poultry plant - at no cost to the
employees. It was the first large-scale
vaccination at a major food processing
plant in the county.
Soon after, plants around the

country followed suit and started
announcing plans to help get their
employees vaccinated. Most are
coordinating with local health
departments and many are vaccinating
on-site. Some are even offering cash
incentives to those willing to get
inoculated. These companies should
be commended for being proactive
and for continuing to take care of their
employees during this health crisis.
Bob Krebs, president of JBS
USA Pork, explained the company's
priorities: " We remain committed to
providing a safe working environment
for our team members and doing
all we can to ensure our workforce
across the country is given the
opportunity to be vaccinated as
soon as possible. They have worked
tirelessly throughout the pandemic to
provide food for all Americans, and
their access to the vaccine should
absolutely be prioritized. "
Agreed. Meat and poultry
processing workers have been
essential throughout this pandemic and
they should be prioritized. By doing
so, they can protect themselves and
their families while they continue to
do the job of producing food to feed
our country.
While I'm anxious to get my
vaccine - to get a bit of my life back - I
will happily wait my turn behind all the
essential workers out there.
KIM BERLIE CLYM A | kc lyma@sosland.com

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Meat+Poultry - March 2021

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