Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) declared over the weekend that she received her first dose of the Pfizer vaccine before more vulnerable populations because national security policy aims to “ensure the continuity of governance during national emergencies.”
“I was actually surprised by this too,” Ocasio-Cortez said during a Q&A posted to her Instagram after sharing a video of herself receiving the vaccine. “I was expecting we’re going to get it a lot later. “But– and healthcare workers for the record, health care workers have started to receive it.
“Not everybody obviously yet has been vaccinated but when it comes to Congress’s access, it’s due to something [called] continuity of governance planning, which is essentially national security planning,” AOC continued. “So this actually came from a national security policy and directive to ensure continuity of governance during national emergencies.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice voted on Sunday to recommend that frontline essential workers — including police officers, firefighters, and teachers — and those over the age of 75 be next in line to receive the vaccine.
It is difficult to grasp how Ocasio-Cortez could possibly be considered an essential worker.