It's not just Covid risk. It's politics.
 | By Nathaniel Lash Graphics Reporter, Opinion |
What does your state's vaccine line actually look like? |
This was a curiosity of mine back in January, when states were still mostly focused on vaccinations in hospitals and nursing homes. My colleague Stuart Thompson had written a piece the month before that helped readers understand where they stood in a hypothetical (but highly plausible) "vaccine line." So it seemed natural for us to chart each state's progress along that line to show you marching ever closer to inoculation. |
Of course, nothing is ever that simple. States have since adopted complex and divergent rules for who gets the vaccine and in what order. |
It's hard to grasp how different these lines are, though, without seeing them. |
I looked at every state's plan and started counting the number of people in each phase: a few thousand first responders here, a few thousand teachers there. As I pieced together each state's unique order, it became clear how they had muddled the process, confusing millions of Americans and creating new inequities. |
Take, for instance, how states have treated grocery store workers. Celebrated throughout the pandemic for their risk and sacrifice, grocers were placed, according to federal guidelines, near the front of the line, alongside other frontline workers like police and law enforcement officers. But in state after state, grocery workers were shuffled further and further back in line. |
Here are just a few state vaccine lines comparing the two groups. Remember that they are equally prioritized in federal guidelines. |
 | | Nathaniel Lash |
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There is a long road ahead to achieving something that resembles herd immunity. Getting there will require the public's trust and patience. In the meantime, you can see how the plan your state has set in motion compares to C.D.C. guidelines here. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
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