The advisory Panel on Immunization Practices advises the Center for Disease Control and voted Tuesday that with initial dose is expected to be scarce, Frontline health workers are a top priority.

Officials at the CDC say they expect only 5 to 10 million doses will be available per week once US regulators authorized them, possibly later this month.

As for long term care residents, the CDC says they make up just 6% of All Cove in 19 cases but nearly 40% of related deaths.

However, several panel members were initially hesitant about people in long term care, as neither the Moderna nor Pfizer vaccines currently being reviewed for emergency use were specifically tested on that group.

But they ultimately endorsed the decision, and consent forms will be provided to people so they know the potential risks.

State and local health officials will use the panel's recommendations to guide their decision making about how to dole out the vaccines and may have to prioritize healthcare workers with direct patient contact or who handle infectious materials.

Ultimately, the CDC expects toe Havas many as 40 million doses of the two dose vaccines available by the end of the year, which would cover roughly 20 million people.