A former councillor in Essex has some concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
Bill Caixeiro is wondering why essential workers such as grocery store employees are not eligible to receive a vaccine even if they work in one of the identified hot spot postal code areas.
He has a loved one who works in an identified hot spot area but cannot get vaccinated.
Caixeiro believes essential workers in hot spots are being left behind.
"Somebody for example that works in a grocery store in one of those hot spots, they don't have a choice but to go to work and certainly to me, if you wanted to look at highest risks, they are the ones that are putting themselves in the highest risk especially in a hot spot," says Caixeiro."
He says local stats are showing a number of outbreaks at area workplaces.
"I believe that by leaving the essential workplaces behind in those hot spots is somewhat criminal," he says. "I mean we're leaving behind the most vulnerable that are having to go to work each and every day when we are vaccinating people right around them."
Caixeiro says it might be an oversight and is not blaming anyone but believes all essential workers should be eligible to receive a vaccine.
"For whatever reason that these people have been left out of the loop, don't wait just include them now as you included so many other groups, include them now and let's move forward," says Caixeiro.
Caixeiro is also questioning why at Monday's pop-up vaccination clinics, employees working in the two hot spot areas were eligibly to receive a vaccine but are not eligible once the pop-ups are done.
He says he has reached out to the health unit along with the premier's office hoping to get the workers eligible to receive a vaccine.