'We Are Forgotten': Grocery Workers Not In Vaccine Priority Line

ACROSS AMERICA — At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, grocery store workers were called upon to come to work as millions of other Americans saw their jobs go fully remote to curb the virus's spread. They were deemed essential workers, exempt from shutdowns, because they were needed to help continue to feed America.

While doing so, grocery workers were forced to interact — in close distance — with hundreds of shoppers a day. Risking contracting the virus themselves and spreading it to family members, they showed up for the betterment of society.

But now, in most places, they aren't near the front of the vaccine lines.

“When they said we were Phase 3, I wanted to laugh,” Toni Ward Sockwell, an assistant manager at a Cash Saver store in Guthrie, Oklahoma, told The New York Times.

Only 13 states have begun specifically vaccinating grocery workers as of Monday, the Times found.

“We’re around just as many sick people as we are around non-sick people, just like health care workers, because we are always going to be open to supply food to the public," said Sockwell, who oversees about 40 employees.

“Health care workers are heroes in my eyes. But we are forgotten.”

Many grocery store workers are going without hazard pay as well.

“Employers by and large, with only a few exceptions like Trader Joe’s and Costco, ended hazard pay months and months ago,” Molly Kinder, a fellow at the Brookings Institution who researches retailers' pay amid the pandemic, told the Times.

In places where hazard pay for grocery workers is required, such as Long Beach, California, stores are closing instead.

Bertha Ayala, an employee at a Food 4 Less store there, told the Times she was relieved when it was mandated that grocery workers get an additional $4 an hour for hero pay. But a few days later, Kroger, Food 4 Less's parent company, decided to close the store she works at instead.

Read more from The New York Times

The Latest

Two of America's most recognizable companies, Walgreens and Uber, are partnering to help speed up the vaccine rollout in minority communities across the country.

The two said in a joint statement Tuesday that free rides to vaccine sites will be offered as part of a larger effort to address equity.

"By combining Walgreens’ deep experience in community care with Uber’s transportation technology and logistics expertise, we will take bold action to address vaccine access and hesitancy among those hit hardest by the pandemic,” said John Standley, president of Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens.

Pilot programs of the effort will soon begin in Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and El Paso, according to a news release.

The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately affected Black and Hispanic people. Data already shows that people of color are being vaccinated at lower rates than white people, according to a report from Axios.

But as the American coronavirus case total tops 27 million and COVID-19-related deaths inch closer to 500,000, a number of states are easing restrictions that were enacted to slow the virus's spread.

In Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds has lifted all restrictions, including mask-wearing, social distancing requirements and other mitigation measures, according to the Des Moines Register and other reports.

Iowa in particular has struggled with its vaccine rollout. The state is ranked last in vaccine first-dose distribution, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 7.5 percent of Iowans have received one dose of a vaccine, KCCI reported.

In all, nearly 1 in 10 Americans have now received at least one shot, according to The Associated Press. But just 2.9 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated, a long way from the 70 percent or more that experts say must be inoculated to conquer the outbreak.

Reynolds' office did not explain why restrictions in Iowa would be lifted so abruptly in a state that has struggled with the virus for months, the Register reported. The newly relaxed restrictions went into effect Sunday, as the nation's top health experts were warning Americans against holding large Super Bowl parties that could lead to the virus's spread.

The virus has been known to more severely impact patients who have other medical conditions. Those who suffer from dementia are among those with a heightened risk, according to a New York Times report citing a new study of medical records. Dementia patients are about twice as likely to contract the virus as others, the study said.

Black people with dementia are nearly three times as likely as white people with dementia, the report also showed.

“This study highlights the need to protect patients with dementia, especially those who are Black,” according to the authors.

Meanwhile, a report has surfaced showing the prevalence of the B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant that originated in the United Kingdom. The report, posted on the preprint server MedRxiv and not yet peer-reviewed, says the variant doubles in its prevalence in coronavirus cases every week and a half, according to the Washington Post.

Health experts have already warned the variant could become dominant in the United States by the end of March.

On Capitol Hill, as talks continue on the next coronavirus economic relief bill, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that full employment could be restored by next year if President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion package is passed.

"We face a huge economic challenge here and tremendous suffering in the country. We have got to address that," Yellen said, according to The Associated Press. "That's the biggest risk."

Citing a report from the Congressional Budget Office, Yellen said the unemployment rate could remain elevated for years to come, and it could take until 2025 to get unemployment back to 4 percent. The jobless rate stood at a half-century low of 3.9 percent a year ago before the pandemic hit.

But if Biden's relief package is approved, the country could get back to pre-pandemic employment numbers sometime in 2022, Yellen said.

"There's absolutely no reason why we should suffer through a long, slow recovery," Yellen said.

Stimulus talks continue as members of the House of Representatives are mourning the death of a colleague.

U.S. Rep. Ron Wright of Texas, 67, a Republican who had cancer and was diagnosed with COVID-19 in January, died Sunday.

Wright was in his second term in Congress and had previously been a newspaper columnist and member of the Arlington City Council, according to the Texas Tribune.

"Congressman Wright will be remembered as a constitutional conservative," a statement from his campaign staff said. "He was a statesman, not an ideologue. Ron and Susan dedicated their lives to fighting for individual freedom, Texas values, and above all, the lives of the unborn."

Newest Numbers

As of Tuesday afternoon, the United States had reported more than 27.1 million cases and more than 466,500 deaths from COVID-19-related illnesses, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

At least 1,334 deaths and 79,330 new cases of coronavirus were reported in the United States on Monday, according to a Washington Post database. The Post's reporting shows that over the past week, new daily reported cases have fallen 23.2 percent, new daily reported deaths have fallen 12.3 percent and COVID-19-related hospitalizations have fallen 13.7 percent.

More than 59.3 million vaccine doses have been distributed and 42.4 million administered in the United States as of Tuesday morning, according to the CDC. More than 32.3 million people have received one dose, and more than 9.5 million have received two.

Currently, 80,055 people are hospitalized with a coronavirus-related illness in the United States, according to the Covid Tracking Project.

As of Tuesday, 31 states and U.S. territories remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the World Health Organization to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days.

Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via The New York Times or The Washington Post.

Read More From Across America:

• Vaccine Use In Virginia: How Many Shots Have Been Given?
• Gov. Murphy Vetoes New Jersey Unemployment Bill, Signs 14 More Into Law
• Pennsylvania Officials Give COVID Vaccine Update, Addressing Bumpy Rollout
• New York Coronavirus Vaccine Soon For People With Underlying Conditions
• Podcast Explores Gray Love In The Time Of COVID
• Aurora, Illinois Eyes $2.5 Million In Coronavirus Relief For Restaurants, Bars
• Cannabis Workers Now Eligible For Vaccine Shots In California
• 100 New Jersey Teachers Demand Coronavirus Aid For Immigrants