Covid-19 age-based vaccination standards are on fire

Younger ones will be eligible in phases. Both states have carved out an exception for people working in education.

David Margolis, who lives in Stamford, Connecticut, said he had hoped his 21-year-old son, who has a rare genetic disorder that makes him more susceptible to a severe case of Covid-19, would be included in the next group of people eligible for the vaccine. Instead, he will have to wait at least until May, when Connecticut opens vaccines to its last group, ages 16 to 34.

“It simply came to our notice then. We had a broken heart, “said Mr. Margolis, 63.” How you take this population of people who have these underlying conditions and throw them off the side of the road is beyond me. “

Disability Rights Connecticut, a nonprofit group representing people with disabilities, filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, alleging that the new Connecticut discriminates against people with disabilities.

Eligibility criteria for Covid-19 vaccines vary by state, but all have given priority to vaccinating their oldest residents and health care workers. The vast majority also follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to give priority to people with high-risk underlying diseases and essential workers.

Many states have been changing eligibility rules as they move forward, creating confusion for residents. California temporarily withdrew the opening of vaccines to essential workers to speed up the process, but has since allowed food and agriculture workers to be vaccinated. On March 15, people with underlying medical conditions will be eligible.

Officials in Maine and Connecticut say deploying the vaccine based on age is a faster and more effective method that will prevent more deaths. It eliminates the hassle of choosing which occupations and medical conditions would qualify and verify this information. In addition, state health officials concluded that age is the most important factor in determining whether someone with a severe case of Covid-19 lives or dies.

“There’s a lot of fear, justifiably, about catching the virus,” Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, told a news conference last week. “The decision we make is the one that will benefit more people and save more lives.”

He acknowledged that some people with underlying medical conditions would be disappointed by the change. Under the new state plan, the last eligible age group, 29 or younger, can be vaccinated in July.

Josh Geballe, Connecticut’s chief operating officer who helps direct the state’s pandemic response, said it was not feasible to prioritize essential workers and people with underlying medical conditions, given the challenge of verifying occupations. and health details.

In addition, the number of Connecticut residents with a skilled medical condition and essential workers could have been up to 1.5 million, Geballe said. There are currently not enough doses of vaccine for this, so the state would have had to create another level of prioritization within these groups, which would further complicate efforts, he said.

“Our strategy is really designed to make sure we go as fast as possible, to reduce deaths and serious illnesses caused by Covid, and also to give us the best chance to have equity in vaccine delivery,” he said. Geballe. “We remain convinced that this strategy is the best way to achieve both goals.”

Many young essential workers were dismayed to learn that they had to wait longer to get the vaccine. Allyson McCabe, a 21-year-old assistant front-end assistant at a stall and store in Simsbury, Conn., Called the state’s new vaccination rules a “slap.”

“We faced this Covid from day one and we really don’t get thanked for that,” Ms. McCabe.

Some medical professionals say this approach raises questions about equity and could further aggravate the inequalities caused by the pandemic.

“The question for society is: is this an equitable approach? And, in my view, I think we can take a different approach and have a more equitable deployment, ”said Bonnie Swenor, director of the Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center, who believes people with underlying medical conditions should be eligible before.

Arthur Caplan, director of the medical ethics division at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, said that given the rocky launch of the vaccine in the United States, prioritizing age makes sense rather than ‘try to fix a dysfunctional system.

“I think achieving that should be our goal,” Dr. Caplan said. “Unfortunately, I’m willing to sacrifice a little bit of equity right now.”

Write to Joseph De Avila to [email protected]