Water sector weighs in on COVID vaccine prioritization

The Water Sector Coordinating Council (WSCC) released a December 14 memo encouraging water and wastewater utilities to contact their state and local public health agencies about prioritization of their staff for COVID-19 vaccinations.

The WSCC is is a policy, strategy and coordination mechanism for the U.S. Water and Wastewater Systems Sector in interactions with the government and other sectors on critical infrastructure security and resilience issues. Although the federal government has published recommendations for vaccine prioritization, the final decisions about vaccine distribution will be made at the state and local levels. Local engagement by utilities is therefore critical to ensure that water workers receive priority for the vaccine.