Do U.S. firefighter medics get early COVID-19 vaccines? Depends on the state

Firefighters and paramedics wait outside LAC + USC Medical Center during a surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 27, 2020. REUTERS/Bing Guan

(Reuters) - U.S. emergency medical personnel are getting quick access to COVID-19 vaccines in some parts of the United States while fire chiefs in other areas forecast a delay of weeks or months, highlighting the chaotic nature of a rollout that relies on states and counties to plan and administer distribution.

A lack of detailed federal guidelines has forced U.S. states and counties to create their own plans for distributing initially limited doses of COVID-19 vaccines in hopes of curbing a raging pandemic that has killed more than 332,000 Americans.