Sen. Joe Manchin is advocating for rural veterans to receive the coronavirus vaccine as a priority group.
The West Virginia Democrat urged Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie to make a public plan as to how the department will assist rural areas when distributing the coronavirus vaccine, which began this week.
“While it may make logistical sense to prioritize VA hospitals with high population density, we have the most vulnerable population in the country,” Manchin said, referring to his home state. “Our more than 140,000 veterans are older and have higher levels of pre-existing conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease that make them especially susceptible to developing a severe illness if they become infected with the virus.”
Vaccines are first going to healthcare workers across the country. The elderly population in nursing homes is expected to also start receiving the vaccine soon. Federal officials have estimated the general population could receive the vaccine by spring 2021.
Manchin argued that many veterans should be considered highly vulnerable due to their age and the physical consequences they might have endured during combat or military service.
“We must do everything we can to vaccinate and protect these veterans, who have already given so much,” he said.
The coronavirus pandemic has infected more than 17 million people and killed more than 300,000, according to Johns Hopkins University’s data.
