New map shows which states are vaccinating food workers
As the Covid-19 vaccine becomes more widely available across the country, the workers who pick, pack, process, sell, and serve our food have been placed in a range of vaccination priority groups. Workers on farms, at meatpacking and food processing plants, in grocery stores, and in restaurants are eligible to be vaccinated in most — but not all — states. With FERN’s new map, you can search by sector to see where food system workers are currently eligible to be vaccinated and, where they’re not, when they will become eligible.
As of March 24, farmworkers are eligible to receive the vaccine in 36 states; food processing workers are eligible in 35 states; meatpacking workers are eligible in 35 states; grocery workers are eligible in 34 states; and restaurant workers are eligible in 28 states, according to FERN’s analysis of information from state health agencies and news reports.