Groups Jockey for COVID-19 Vax 'High Priority' Status
Advocates had their say at NASEM public comment hearing
The wide swath of groups receiving the highest priority for any potential COVID-19 vaccine should expand to include particular races and ethnicities, as well as certain occupations, advocates told the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) on Wednesday.
In addition to race/ethnicity, experts advocated for priority vaccine access for a larger population of older people, other healthcare workers beyond the medical setting, such as pharmacists and dentists, and public service workers.
On Tuesday, NASEM released part of their draft recommendations for COVID-19 vaccine allocation, comprised of a four-phase approach that placed "high-risk workers in healthcare facilities" and "first responders" at the top of the list, followed by people with comorbidities and underlying conditions, and older adults living in "congregate or overcrowded settings."
It did not, however, specifically prioritize particular sociodemographic groups such as Black Americans -- in whom COVID-19 has been especially deadly -- because committee members believed their risk comes primarily from higher rates of comorbidities, which the prioritization scheme already addresses.
NASEM then allowed experts and advocates from different industries to have their say at a public comment hearing.
Committee co-chair Helene Gayle, MD, laid out the primary goal of the recommendations: to maximize societal benefit by reducing morbidity and mortality caused by COVID-19.
"We've always started with science and then asked the question of how do we look at ethics," said committee co-chair William Foege, MD. "This committee did it CONTINUE READING: Groups Jockey for COVID-19 Vax 'High Priority' Status | MedPage Today