With front-line health staff and nursing home residents expected to get the initial doses of Covid vaccines, the more challenging question is thinking about who goes next. The result will likely depend on where you reside. The federal advisory board is going to make its proposals later this month, state health departments and governors will decide on who gets access to a bounded number of vaccines this winter. As a result, it’s been a free-for-all in recent weeks as entrepreneurs, grocers, bank workers, dentists, and drive-share firms all jostle to get a place near the front of the line. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 13 to 1 this month to give first Covid-19 vaccination priority to doctors and nurses and residents of long-term care facilities once the US Food and Drug Administration acknowledges one or more Covid-19 vaccines for emergency purposes.

Moreover, the advisory committee is considering presenting more data about its record of prioritized recipients before the end of the year. Its next directions are likely to prioritize people who keep the society running, such as workers in food and agriculture, public safety, and education. Older people and those with serious illnesses are also included high on the list.