At some point scientists are going to find a vaccine for COVID-19, and two things become immediately evident. One: there won’t be enough vaccine to give to everybody as fast as they want them. Two: there will need to be a thoughtful plan to distribute the vaccine in a way that maximizes it’s effectiveness.
The three easiest places to start:
- Health care workers
- Senior homes
- High risk due to age or health conditions like immune sufficiencies.
But what’s the order after that? The reality is that money and power will play a big role, and so athletes and famous people will get an undeserved advantage with respect to how fast they get their vaccine. This unfair advantage will occur. But if you were in charge, who would be next after the list I mentioned above?
Where do grocery and restaurant workers fit in the schedule? Or workers at food production farms and plants? What about teachers and professors? Dentists, physio, and massage therapists?
What restrictions might fall upon those not vaccinated?Will their travel to other countries be limited? Will their ability to work in certain sectors be limited? Will there be consequences for those that decide they don’t want to be vaccinated? (Besides natural consequences.)
I’m sure countries have already made decisions like this. I’m also pretty sure how counties do this will look different around the world. How it plays out will be interesting to see. If production of a vaccine is extremely fast, this won’t be a huge concern, but the slower the production, the greater the distribution order of the vaccine will matter.
