The US seems to be optimizing vaccine distribution for the lowest risk of offending anyone, instead of the lowest risk of fatalities.
The fear is that doctors might reserve vaccine doses for family, friends, or highest bidders. The optics of such a situation would be terrible and would surely be in the headlines for months, but the actual odds of this happening and the resulting impacting are very low.
This follows earlier attempts by the CDC to optimize vaccine distribution according to racial demographics rather than which demographic was most susceptible to COVID (elderly). They eventually relented, but I'm still stunned that our own CDC was considering going against their own fatality models in an effort to appease social justice concerns. (Source: https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-12-30/how-race-fa... )
We had nearly a year to prepare for this situation. It's almost criminal that the government didn't think to prepare a vaccine distribution system that would have solved these issues well in advance. No doctors should have to scramble to find patients to accept a vaccine when under 10% of the country is vaccinated.
I hesitate to label it the equity/social justice movement itself. I mean, we should be striving for these goals.
I would argue, rather that the country seems to have been stuck in a place of frustration similar to when a child gets frustrated with a puzzle and sits down and starts sobbing.
A good parent sits down, and patiently says 'Ok, you're stuck, but that's ok sometimes we get stuck. Let's come up with a plan and keep trying and we'll get there.'
As a society (on both sides of the aisle) we have been in the position of the child. Frustrated, helpless, and projecting our frustration in emotional outbursts.
And instead of a patient leader coaching us to become better and work through our problems, we've had our leaders egging-on the sobbing. 'This puzzle isn't fair. It was designed to not be fair to you in particular.'
And so the country's sobbing became worse and worse.
But, things have been remarkably quiet in the past month, and our current leaders (whether or not I agree with their policies) seem to be setting an example by working quietly and patiently. Maybe the sobbing will subside, and we just might get a chance to start moving forward without constantly being distracted by each side's emotional outbursts and frustration.
In the past few years we've nearly solved protein folding, developed a novel vaccine technology, watched the lightning-pace of private space-tech, and a bunch of other cool stuff I'm sure I've missed. Imagine how much cool stuff we'll be able to accomplish when our leaders aren't constantly pitting us against each other for cheap political points.
PragmaticPulp says "The fear is that doctors might reserve vaccine doses for family, friends, or highest bidders."><
Fear? More like "certainty".
The only people I know who have the shot are either medical staff, their relatives or close friends and people with beaucoup $$. Revealing is that those who are wealthy
are unwilling to tell me where they got their immunizations. They've already received both inoculations.
I'm in my 70's and can't get the time of day from my doctor or any of the immunization clinics I've contacted here in Harris County Texas. Pharmacies, stores, clinics, universities including medical schools, are all "not currently immunizing" yet all promise to do so someday. All have received vaccines but claim to currently have none. The county website promises to put you on a waiting list and select randomly but so far no good.
All websites state that groups to be immunized are firstly doctors and medical staff and secondly, those over 65. The latter is just not happening (to me certainly).
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[ 3.4 ms ] story [ 16.0 ms ] threadThe fear is that doctors might reserve vaccine doses for family, friends, or highest bidders. The optics of such a situation would be terrible and would surely be in the headlines for months, but the actual odds of this happening and the resulting impacting are very low.
This follows earlier attempts by the CDC to optimize vaccine distribution according to racial demographics rather than which demographic was most susceptible to COVID (elderly). They eventually relented, but I'm still stunned that our own CDC was considering going against their own fatality models in an effort to appease social justice concerns. (Source: https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-12-30/how-race-fa... )
We had nearly a year to prepare for this situation. It's almost criminal that the government didn't think to prepare a vaccine distribution system that would have solved these issues well in advance. No doctors should have to scramble to find patients to accept a vaccine when under 10% of the country is vaccinated.
I would argue, rather that the country seems to have been stuck in a place of frustration similar to when a child gets frustrated with a puzzle and sits down and starts sobbing.
A good parent sits down, and patiently says 'Ok, you're stuck, but that's ok sometimes we get stuck. Let's come up with a plan and keep trying and we'll get there.'
As a society (on both sides of the aisle) we have been in the position of the child. Frustrated, helpless, and projecting our frustration in emotional outbursts.
And instead of a patient leader coaching us to become better and work through our problems, we've had our leaders egging-on the sobbing. 'This puzzle isn't fair. It was designed to not be fair to you in particular.'
And so the country's sobbing became worse and worse.
But, things have been remarkably quiet in the past month, and our current leaders (whether or not I agree with their policies) seem to be setting an example by working quietly and patiently. Maybe the sobbing will subside, and we just might get a chance to start moving forward without constantly being distracted by each side's emotional outbursts and frustration.
In the past few years we've nearly solved protein folding, developed a novel vaccine technology, watched the lightning-pace of private space-tech, and a bunch of other cool stuff I'm sure I've missed. Imagine how much cool stuff we'll be able to accomplish when our leaders aren't constantly pitting us against each other for cheap political points.
Fear? More like "certainty".
The only people I know who have the shot are either medical staff, their relatives or close friends and people with beaucoup $$. Revealing is that those who are wealthy are unwilling to tell me where they got their immunizations. They've already received both inoculations.
I'm in my 70's and can't get the time of day from my doctor or any of the immunization clinics I've contacted here in Harris County Texas. Pharmacies, stores, clinics, universities including medical schools, are all "not currently immunizing" yet all promise to do so someday. All have received vaccines but claim to currently have none. The county website promises to put you on a waiting list and select randomly but so far no good.
All websites state that groups to be immunized are firstly doctors and medical staff and secondly, those over 65. The latter is just not happening (to me certainly).