Red states prioritize elderly and vulnerable in vaccine distribution, bucking federal guidance

Several red states are eschewing federal recommendations for vaccine distribution and prioritizing the elderly and vulnerable over essential workers, in the hopes of saving more lives.

Texas, Florida, South Dakota, and Tennessee have decided to focus on groups that are the most at risk of death, including those with chronic conditions and elderly people who are 65 and up. That is a different distribution plan than the one recommended in mid-December by the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which said that certain essential workers and those age 75 and older be the next in line for coronavirus vaccinations after healthcare workers and long-term care facility residents.