Covid Vaccine Distribution

[Aerides]

It surprises me though, that none of these priority lists were determined (vetted, reviewed, published) months ago. We've known long enough who is most risk of dying, that hasn't changed.

And yes age is more of a factor than any other condition according to all the data, and far less likely to be abused...

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Do you know if they were allowed to take any pain relievers? Sometimes doctors don't want you to take NSAIDs because inflammation is actually part of the vaccine process.

I asked this question and relative said they werent given any verbal guidance on painkillers but he had not fully reviewed the info sheet (eyerolls)

 

[Midpack]

In my state I'll be eligible (long) before DW due to age (I'm 66, she's 64). That sucks for us, but we understand their rationale.

Phase 1a

• Health care workers at high risk for exposure to COVID-19—doctors, nurses, and all who interact and care for patients with COVID-19, including those who clean areas used by patients, and those giving vaccines to these workers.
• Long-Term Care staff and residents— people in skilled nursing facilities and in adult, family and group homes.

Phase 1b

• Adults with two or more chronic conditions that put them at risk of severe illness as defined by the CDC, including conditions like cancer, COPD, serious heart conditions, sickle cell disease and Type 2 diabetes, among others.
• Adults at high risk of exposure including essential frontline workers (police, food processing, teachers, child care), health care workers, and those living in prisons, homeless shelters, migrant and fishery housing with 2+ chronic conditions.
• Those working in prisons, jails and homeless shelters (no chronic conditions requirement).

Phase 2

• Essential frontline workers, health care workers, and those living in prisons, homeless shelters or migrant and fishery housing.
• Adults 65+
• Adults under 65 with one chronic condition that puts them at risk of severe illness as defined by the CDC.

Phase 3

• College and university students.
• K-12 students when there is an approved vaccine for children.
• Those employed in jobs that are critical to society and at lower risk of exposure.

Phase 4

• Everyone who wants a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccination.

 

[harllee]

Texas announced the next priority group today. It's almost scary, them getting out ahead and being clear about it!

So DW and I move up a step, to 1b, after they get done with 1a.

https://www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/immunize/vaccine/EVAP-Phase1B.pdf

Interesting....NC's draft list (cannot find final copy) says that you need TWO medical conditions in order to get priority and I am hearing the age priority is going to be 75 instead of 65 in NC due to the limited number of vaccines we are to get here in NC. I am hoping DH will somehow get early priority but he is only age 70 and has only one medical condition--an autoimmune disease (he is not overweight and no other medical problems) There is confusion about how we are to prove medical conditions here in NC--the draft says "self reporting" on medical conditions (what could possibly go wrong there?) but DH's doctor says she is hearing you will need a letter from your doctor.

 

[harllee]

In my state I'll be eligible (long) before DW due to age (I'm 66, she's 64). That sucks for us, but we understand their rationale.

Midpack, I am hearing that the age limit for priority here in NC is going to be increased to age 75 due to the fact that we are getting less doses than we had originally thought. Of course NC still does not have nearly enough doses yet for the medical workers and then the nursing homes come next. And then the over age whatever (65 or 75?) and those with 2 medical conditions.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Harlee, I cant see them requiring a letter from your dr. I just think about the amount of admin time devoted to distributing these letters for say an endocrinologist list that like EVERY patient needs one but God knows they dont want everyone showing up at their office, but people dont have email (yes, its true!). WHat a nutroll that would be in every medical office to produce these. Im just imagining this against the TX list of conditions. "IM pregnant" OK maybe you are. My obgyn wont see you till you are over 12 weeks. DO you hafta bring in the pee stick? Black market on facebook for peed on sticks? I would be shocked it letters happened. Really shocked.

 

[harllee]

Harlee, I cant see them requiring a letter from your dr. I just think about the amount of admin time devoted to distributing these letters for say an endocrinologist list that like EVERY patient needs one but God knows they dont want everyone showing up at their office, but people dont have email (yes, its true!). WHat a nutroll that would be in every medical office to produce these. Im just imagining this against the TX list of conditions. "IM pregnant" OK maybe you are. My obgyn wont see you till you are over 12 weeks. DO you hafta bring in the pee stick? Black market on facebook for peed on sticks? I would be shocked it letters happened. Really shocked.

Well, the last time there was a vaccine shortage for influenza shots (maybe 10-15 years ago?) only people with certain medical conditions could qualify to get it (the shots were given at the health department). DH was able to get the flu vaccine because he had one of the permitted medical conditions and he had to have a letter from his doctor (it was emailed to him). DH's doctor has already emailed him a letter to use this time in the event he needs it.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

It surprises me though, that none of these priority lists were determined (vetted, reviewed, published) months ago. We've known long enough who is most risk of dying, that hasn't changed.

And yes age is more of a factor than any other condition according to all the data, and far less likely to be abused...

From working as a government consultant, I would bet that the lists were vetted and reviewed dozens of times, and only published when the vaccine was finally available. I've learned that people latch on to any changes as government being "wrong", rather than adapting to new information, which is often why governments seem to move so slow, they are trying to be very deliberate and have everything as thoroughly planned out as possible. So our clients often wouldn't publish things until they were SURE they were ready and needed, revising them right up until they came off the presses (and sometimes after).

 

[mpeirce]

If I was king it'd be simple.

Phase 1 - very high risk folks

Phase 2 - everyone else who wants it

Otherwise it just enables bureaucrats to be bureaucrats.

 

[JoeWras]

Here in NC, prisoners are high on the list (see above), and I support this, because all of the support personnel are at risk and take it back to the community.

But here's the thing: a lot of prisoners are making noise that they don't want it. DW works with a prison ministry, and they've had discussions about this. The under-served communities are the ones with the most distrust (it goes beyond prison and into the communities in poverty), and they are leery.

We'll see. Phase 4 may come sooner than later if this holds out to be true.

 

[gerntz]

In my state I'll be eligible (long) before DW due to age (I'm 66, she's 64). That sucks for us, but we understand their rationale.

Well, she'll be eligible in less than a year for sure.

 

[Aerides]

From working as a government consultant, I would bet that the lists were vetted and reviewed dozens of times, and only published when the vaccine was finally available. I've learned that people latch on to any changes as government being "wrong", rather than adapting to new information, which is often why governments seem to move so slow, they are trying to be very deliberate and have everything as thoroughly planned out as possible. So our clients often wouldn't publish things until they were SURE they were ready and needed, revising them right up until they came off the presses (and sometimes after).

But here we are, and on Day 1 of "ready" there are different orders all over the country, and some states that still don't know.

This should have been very specific guidance launched by the CDC and FDA on the day of the approvals. They had months to be SURE.

 

[Chuckanut]

If I was king it'd be simple.

Phase 1 - very high risk folks

Phase 2 - everyone else who wants it

Otherwise it just enables bureaucrats to be bureaucrats.

I tend to agree with a simple process, but my list would be:

Phase 1 - medical people, police, firemen, military, teachers
Phases 2-10 - By age. Start with 80+ and go down 10 years every two weeks until we hit the teens. Give the governors the power to speed things up if the injection sites are not busy.

The politics of this is already starting raise its ugly head. Who really knows what the absolute best order would be? Nobody. Its all best guesses.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Harlee
Mom had a checkup this morning in nc and her doc saud she had to go online to ncdhhs or something similar to signup and enter health info for the vaccine.

 

[Amethyst]

That's one reason. Another reason is the sheer difficulty and monetary cost of promulgating and overseeing any changes, no matter how small, which affect a large number of people.

I've learned that people latch on to any changes as government being "wrong", rather than adapting to new information, which is often why governments seem to move so slow, they are trying to be very deliberate and have everything as thoroughly planned out as possible. .

 

[Gumby]

A couple months back, I took a crack at developing a priority list, and that turns out to be very close to the actual plan here in Connecticut. Although I would make one addition to it - anyone who pisses and moans about the list gets automatically moved to the end of the line, after we've gone out and woken up all the guys sleeping behind dumpsters to see if they'd like to be vaccinated.

 

[harllee]

Some good news from the CCRC where my mother lives. They are scheduled to give the Moderna vaccine NEXT WEEK to the residents of skilled nursing and assisted living and the employees who work there. MY mom is in independent living so she will not get it next week. But the CCRC says that they are working with the local health department to get the vaccine to the independent living residents ASAP.

 

[REWahoo]

Read an article out of TX dated yesterday discussing a hospital that had more shots that employees willing to take them so they started calling around town and inviting the pharamcists/techs and other health folks to come and get their shots. THey interviewed some of the folks getting the shot and they didnt require any proof. THey had a photo of a local politician NOT in the eligibility group with the vaccine needle literally in his arm. If I stumble across it I will post it.

Is this it?

When health workers at a Rio Grande Valley hospital declined the COVID-19 vaccine, a state senator and law enforcement lined up

So many workers at an Edinburg hospital declined the new COVID-19 vaccine that it offered doses to other medical workers in the region. The vaccine ended up going to nonmedical personnel as well.

 

[MuirWannabe]

However it’s distributed, each person vaccinated gets everyone a little safer. I’m eager to get it, but not gonna send myself into a tizzy with every story about it. My hope is that we soon get flooded with enough vaccines and doses that discussion of distribution order becomes irrelevant.

 

[ziggy29]

However it’s distributed, each person vaccinated gets everyone a little safer. I’m eager to get it, but not gonna send myself into a tizzy with every story about it. My hope is that we soon get flooded with enough vaccines and doses that discussion of distribution order becomes irrelevant.

The medical system my PCP is associated with has told us that they will send us notifications when it is our "turn" to call them to get it.

And yeah, the way I see it, for everyone who gets vaccinated, my chances of catching it drop (even if infinitesimally, though multiplying a very small number by a few million starts to move the needle).

 

[goingtotravel]

Mr. Goingtotravel is in CDC group 1c. Today at a doctor's appointment he was told he would probably be getting his vaccine in February. He's been putting off an elective surgery for almost a year now and his doctor was telling him he should be fully vaccinated and able to schedule the surgery in early Spring.

 

[REWahoo]

Interesting map showing the number of Covid vaccinations by state:

Covid-19 vaccination tracker

 

[braumeister]

Cool data!
I was amazed to see my Kentucky ahead of neighboring Ohio.

 

[gerntz]

However it’s distributed, each person vaccinated gets everyone a little safer. I’m eager to get it, but not gonna send myself into a tizzy with every story about it. My hope is that we soon get flooded with enough vaccines and doses that discussion of distribution order becomes irrelevant.

Now there's a voice of reason. Nitpicking the details is futility in action.

 

[gerntz]

But here we are, and on Day 1 of "ready" there are different orders all over the country, and some states that still don't know.

This should have been very specific guidance launched by the CDC and FDA on the day of the approvals. They had months to be SURE.

Of course there are different orders all over the country. It's each state's call, not the Fed. Every state has a different mix of population needs. No one knew the exact timing each vaccine would be approved nor the amounts allotted. Thankfully it's not one size fits all. Thankfully we have these problems so soon after the virus hit. Be happy people are being treated regardless of the exact order.