Explainer: Vaccine rollout's next challenge: Verifying who is 'essential'

The lack of clear guidelines will significantly complicate the verification process as those workers seek shots. The United States has two authorized COVID-19 vaccines, one from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE and another from Moderna Inc

As U.S. industries push for their workers to receive early access to COVID-19 vaccines, local health departments and pharmacies face the challenge of verifying the identity of essential workers to ensure no one cuts the line.

The vaccination campaign under way is now focused on hospital staff and nursing homes, tightly controlled environments where verification is relatively simple. But beginning in January or February, Americans employed in a range of industries will be eligible for inoculation, provided they are essential frontline workers.