COVID-19 vaccine rollout leaves high-risk workers behind
Millions of front-line workers in California are falling through the cracks of an undersupplied COVID-19 vaccine distribution system, putting entire communities at prolonged risk of illness and raising the question among workers: Who counts as "essential," and who gets to decide?
The state's front-line workforce includes 5.7 million people at heightened risk during the pandemic, according to the California Legislative Analyst's Office. They package food, prune fields, clean offices and assemble cloth face masks, among other jobs.
Some have higher-paid roles in public health and public corrections. All are at risk of contracting the virus because they regularly interact with other people — customers and colleagues — as they keep services running and pantries stocked.
"People don't realize we have been exposed and are still being exposed. We need the vaccine," said Santiago Puac, 42, a worker at a clothing factory in downtown Los Angeles. Puac said he got sick last August but didn't take a coronavirus test, and kept going to work, because he couldn't afford to stay home.
His body ached and he lost his sense of smell. At night, he locked himself in a room to try
