Perry N. Halkitis, dean of the Rutgers School of Public Health, is available to discuss the priorities for COVID-19 vaccination distribution.

“It is essential that we prioritize vaccinations for healthcare providers and nursing home residents, but they are not the only essential workers keeping our society functional,” he says. “Others include grocery store employees, big-box store employees, mail carriers, restaurant chefs and servers, people working in factories and plants, and myriad others who work in similar capacities and whose lives are also in jeopardy due to COVID-19.

“Many of these essential workers are also members of racial and ethnic minority groups, and/or groups with less wealth,” he continues. “Social, structural and economic factors place them at an especially heightened risk for COVID-19 and other comorbid conditions.”

Halkitis bio: https://sph.rutgers.edu/concentrations/urban-global-public-health/faculty-member.php?id=92133