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What type of population can be prioritized for the new corona vaccination?
There are many uncertain factors that affect distribution.
Internal reporter Zhang Jiaxin
In intensive research and development by scientists around the world, under expectations, the new corona vaccine may be available soon. In the face of the pandemic, millions of people, including medical workers, the elderly and the sick, are at constant risk every day. Although manufacturers have expanded production, the new corona vaccine is still in short supply.
So which group should be included first in the vaccination plan? How to distribute more fairly?
WHO proposes preliminary orientation plan
The official website of the British journal “Nature” recently reported that last week, a strategic advisory group to the World Health Organization issued preliminary guidelines on global vaccine distribution, suggesting that vaccine distribution should prioritize groups specific.
According to ABC News on the 16th, the orientation plan opposes the so-called “vaccine nationalism”, that is, each country gives priority to its citizens. Rather, WHO is calling for the world’s most vulnerable people to get vaccinated first. The program hopes that all countries will be able to obtain the new corona vaccine after it is marketed.
Furthermore, the guidance plan also ensures that poor countries can propose solutions to obtain vaccines at the earliest stage of distribution.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group will then continue to update its guidelines for vaccine distribution. Although the guidelines are available to all WHO member states, none of these countries need to enforce them.
According to the ABC report, the WHO plan does not include the order in which certain populations receive vaccines, but the plan does emphasize that certain vulnerable groups are the highest priority from the impact of the global epidemic, and said that each country can adapt to local conditions. Flexible vaccination plan.
Angus Dawson, a bioethicist at the University of Sydney in Australia, said the WHO plan does not clarify how countries deal with tensions between national and international vaccine distribution.
In the last article in the American magazine “Dialogue” of 18, he interviewed Nicole Hassan, professor of philosophy at Binghamton University, State University of New York. He said he would prioritize vaccinating the elderly: “If I have to decide how to allocate vaccines, I will try to save the lives of most people. A truly ethical delivery plan should treat all lives equally.”
United States lists draft vaccine distribution plan
Previously, the WHO recommendations were incorporated into the draft plan issued by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM).
NASEM said there are many uncertain factors that affect the distribution of the new corona vaccine, such as the number and timing of vaccine doses available, the number of vaccine types available, the efficacy and safety of vaccines, vaccine intake. and the distribution and administration of vaccines. The discussion draft also includes a summary of the application of the framework in various situations, for example, some vaccines require two doses instead of one, or some health insurance companies cannot afford all the costs of administering vaccines, etc.
According to the draft plan displayed on the official NASEM website, there are four criteria for equitable distribution of vaccines, including risk of infection, risk of serious illness and death, risk of negative social impact, and risk of spread the disease to others.
According to the distribution priority, the first level is that of health workers and emergency personnel. The second level is the vulnerable groups in the medical service. These people include the elderly who live in crowded environments and people who already have multiple illnesses, such as severe heart disease or diabetes. These factors will make them face a greater risk of contracting a new coronary pneumonia.
The third level of the distribution plan takes into account workers in high-risk industries such as public transportation, because the nature of the work will bring them into contact with more people. Similarly, people living in certain crowded environments, such as homeless people in shelters and people in prisons, are also included on the priority vaccination list. At the fourth level of the distribution plan are youth, children and general risk exposure groups. Finally, all the other citizens.
Additionally, the NASEM committee is scheduled to publish its final plan in October. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to develop a vaccine distribution plan later this year, and will consider these and other recommendations when developing the vaccine distribution plan. If the vaccine is safe and people are willing to receive it, then this will become the standard that public health departments, physicians, and pharmacies in the United States must follow when distributing vaccines.
