Instead of a fluent vaccination: chaos and misunderstandings: how lists are actually made and who is given priority

Paulė Kuzmickienė, a member of the Seimas Health Affairs Committee, says on the “Facts and Opinions” program that he has not yet received the vaccine because he was infected with coronavirus in January, but

“No, I have not received the vaccine yet because I was sick and I rushed to register for the vaccine in January, but my family doctor said after the antibody test that I still have enough and that I would not need the vaccine, but if I did not have antibodies, I would have been vaccinated, it would certainly have contributed to the vaccine calls and the message that AstraZeneca is a safe and good vaccine, ”says the Seimas member.

According to her, the Seimas members demonstrated leadership by vaccinating against the coronavirus. The role of mayors is also important, as people in the regions tend to listen to what their leaders say and do.

“I see this as a sign of leadership. However, let’s look at the West, where Heads of State were vaccinated to send a message to their people to do the same. It seems to me that the vaccination not only of the members of the Seimas, but also of the mayors is a very good tone, because it is in the regions where people know their political leaders well and listen to them. I think this is a good and timely step, ”added P. Kuzmickienė.

Part of society may be adversely affected

Sergei Muravyov, head of the Lithuanian branch of Transparency International (TILS), says that some people may support the privilege of vaccinating Seimas members and other leaders with a show of power.

“I am glad that more and more people in Lithuania are getting vaccinated, but I admit it: I look at this story and the events of the last weeks as a specialist in transparency and anti-corruption. I wouldn’t really like our focus on vaccination, the importance of vaccines, to turn into a conversation about double standards. Because now more and more people in my circle and in the media are talking about the impression that certain groups have taken advantage of acquaintances, influences, opportunities to convince decision makers that they need to be vaccinated. And we don’t have a clear understanding of the so-called theory of change, all of which will help everyone else to believe that vaccination is necessary.

I have not seen any methodology that allows me to say that this is exactly what will happen to the vast majority of people, I do not mean only the members of the Seimas. I agree, leaders should lead by example, we are currently hearing that other groups in society are already being vaccinated, when we are aware that the vast majority of older people are still waiting to be vaccinated. We know how society reacts sensitively to conversations about corruption, we understand that the impression of nepotism in the country is enormous, people say that the powerful have special access to decision makers, ”says S. Muravjov.

The Deputy Minister of Health, Živilė Simonaitytė, believes that, in a sense, the situation due to different opinions and beliefs is inevitable, because that is exactly what democracy is.

“It just came to our attention then. There will probably always be some people who will think that this is the role model. Others may think that this generates mistrust. That is democracy. Society is made up of many different interest groups and people with different ideas. ”, Says the vice minister.

When asked if it is normal for Seimas members to have the right to vaccinate and not, for example, cashiers or people from other professions, the deputy minister said that last week was the most successful in terms of vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“I can say very simply that to this day almost half a million doses of vaccines have been used in Lithuania. As for the members of the Seimas, mayors, heads of state, they receive about a hundred doses of half a million of those vaccines. , this is not such a large scale that it would have a significant impact. If we had not vaccinated all members of the Seimas, there still would not have been enough vaccinations for all policemen, cashiers or elderly people. After vaccinating politicians in the same AstraZenec, last week was the most successful. Basically we have almost no AstraZeneca balances. We have something because part of AstraZeneca arrived at the vaccination centers on Friday, but basically you still notice that the vaccination of politicians has led to a lot of people to do it and not be afraid of this vaccine ”.

Some groups outperform others in a row

BNS editor-in-chief Vaidotas Beniušis says questions have been raised in recent weeks about why one group is outperforming others. According to him, when we still have a limited quantity of vaccines, the clarity that the Ministry of Health itself must show is very important.

“It just came to our notice then. First I would like to respond to what I have heard from the authorities. Ms. Kuzmickienė said that there is a somewhat old-fashioned attitude to believe that vaccinating politicians would be a privilege. I will just remind you that a month ago. , the Prime Minister, the SAM Minister and the coalition partners, who said they would join the queue, had such an outdated attitude. I understand that the AstraZeneca crisis has changed a lot, but in response to an outdated approach, it has There has been a change at the top of the government on this issue, and that also raises the question.

The second aspect, which, I suppose, also changed the positions of the Seimas, was that the Seimas could not work remotely. Since November it has been said that the Seimas will operate remotely, but it has become a fiasco, it has become postponed sessions and as a result not only the members of the Seimas, but also some employees of the Seimas Chancellery are being vaccinated. Perhaps that aspect is important and, in general, the objective of the SAM should be to clearly identify the objectives of why certain groups are identified as priorities.

Of course, it can be so, because politicians, mayors, the Prime Minister are leading by example and everything is fine, there are arguments for and against, but there are more questions about other groups. It seems to me that in December and January it was very clear why doctors are vaccinated, because the health system must be protected, why the seriously ill or the elderly are vaccinated, because their mortality is higher, but many more questions arose afterwards. . when the professions division began. “

According to Seimas member P. Kuzmickienė, the current situation shows that the example of politicians has had a positive impact.

“It was quite rightly observed that after the formation of the priority queue, there were no heads of state or members of the Seimas, but when the reputation problem with AstraZeneca arose and large numbers were noticed, there was a good response and public confidence in the vaccine, “said the deputy minister. That last week’s vaccination was successful and the residue ran out.”

How to create a priority queue

When asked if it is really motivated and justified to vaccinate teachers who work remotely in the sense of symbolic justice, the Seimas member agreed that the main question for the next few weeks will be how to use vaccines in the most effective way .

“The order of priorities, as I understand it, comes from an evaluation of a group of experts that is more relevant, but it seems to me that now that we have really very large quantities of vaccines, we need to talk and think about how to vaccinate more effectively than prioritize. It really seems worth paying attention to what Vaidotas said and considering how to vaccinate people who are in contact today and are at risk of catching the virus more quickly. “

When the vice minister asked him how this order of priorities is formed, the politician assured that it is being developed taking into account two more important aspects.

“It just came to our notice then. The process is new and we are all learning how to organize and communicate it. We are certainly not saying that everything we do is perfectly clear and understandable, or that the questions being asked are unfounded. In order of Priorities, groups in society emerge on the basis of two aspects.

There are so-called evaluation teams and doctors, like doctors, nursing home workers, there have been many outbreaks, older people who are much more at risk of fighting, as well as people with chronic diseases who would be much more severely affected. by coronavirus infection. The priorities of a country are included not because of its state of health or the specificities of its work, but because it is also very important to vaccinate those groups so that we, as a country, can open one area or another. That vaccination of politicians already mentioned is more exemplary, and the other thing for the educational community, if you remember, was the vaccination a good month ago of all the educators who were working in contact at that time so that we could resume the teaching process. . “