Wall Street and finance workers could get COVID vaccines before most Americans
Wall Street could get a shot in the arm in the coming months, while much of Main Street waits months for their COVID inoculations.
Lenders, bank tellers and traders could jump ahead of most Americans for vaccines, after such remedies receive emergency authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, potentially putting financial industry workers ahead of those aged above 65, adults with medical issues and the rest of the U.S. population.
The American Bankers Association said it has asked for the CDC to designate financial services industry as “essential workers,” following guidelines issued by the Department of Homeland Security.
“We are encouraging public health authorities to follow the existing DHS guidance and include financial services employees as part of the 1b group, but we think front-line bank employees who deal with a large number of people every day should be gave priority to, at a minimum,” said Paul Benda, senior vice president, risk and cybersecurity policy at the American Bankers Association.
A vaccine will remain a distant hope for millions for several months, as major Western nations, including the U.S. and Europe, have struck deals with drugmakers for Covid-19 remedies, with initial supplies likely to be extremely limited at a time when cases of the deadly infection are spiking in many parts of the U.S. [Continue reading…]