As the COVID-19 vaccines begin to roll out, we are beginning to see who we value in society and who can take a back seat. Interesting, or maybe not with the lame duck still in charge, there is no orderly plan on how, when, or who will be vaccinated.
I’m not quite sure why, even absent a national plan, all governors and State Departments of Health even really have to think about the order of people to be vaccinated (hint, it isn’t politicians at the top).
If we would live our values, which should drive our priorities, the following should be the order of people being vaccinated. When feasible, based on the needs of keeping the vaccine viable, the shots should be given within communities and accessible to all.
Order of Priority
- Medical professionals and support personnel (doctors, nurses, custodial, maintenance, food, etc.) who work directly with, or in close proximity to, ICU COVID patients
- All hospital personnel
- All nursing home/assisted living facility personnel
- Community health centers and VA personnel
- Campus based PK-12 teachers
- Front line essential workers that help the nation’s food supply chain and provide medicine deliveries (food processing plants, grocery stores, airline pilots, truckers, USPS workers; does not include restaurant or similar personnel)
- Other medical personnel, such as dentist offices, vision offices, mental health professionals, therapists
- All nursing home/assisted living facility residents
- The rest of us based on age bands, such as over 80, then over 70, over 60, etc. (no persons are able to “jump” ahead, such as rich people, politicians and their staff, military personnel, professional sport players, entertainers, etc.)
Now, is that such a hard list to follow or dispute? Why do politicians always make it harder than it needs to be?
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 