Today, the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) released the “Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine,” which includes funeral directors in the highest priority phase for vaccine allocation. This significant step would not have happened without your help!
The final framework puts funeral directors in Phase 1a for vaccine allocation, which is the phase for high-risk healthcare workers and based, in-part, on the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency designation of funeral professionals as critical infrastructure workers.
The framework released by the NASEM was requested by the CDC and the National Institutes of Health. The framework is designed to inform the decisions by health authorities, including the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), as they create and implement national and/or local guidelines for COVID-19 vaccine allocation. (Note: Vaccines will not be mandatory.)
You can read the full document from NASEM below; the section related to funeral directors begins on page 95 of the PDF.