Sunday, November 29, 2020

The Head of the Vaccine Line Issue

 It's a topic that you could have predicted.....a long discussion has started up in Germany over who gets to be first in line for the vaccine....once it's delivered.  N-TV did a great piece this morning, and explained the argument.

The first suggestion was that older folks and people with secondary issues (COPD, diabetes, etc) would be first in line.  Sanctioned by the Standing Vaccination Commission, the German Ethics Council and the National Science Academy.

The second suggestion is that medical people and care workers (meaning at hospitals and retirement homes).  This suggestion threw in essential workers.....police, firefighters and teachers.  With this suggestion....the number of people went beyond what was in the first delivery of the vaccine.

It probably ought to be pointed out here....no one is completely sure about it actually preventing Covid-19.  The suggestion is there, but it's like the flu vaccine chatter....you get superior protection but it's not absolute.  

Is this a long debate?  No....they got two weeks roughly to come to some conclusion, and I would suggest that medical staff personnel and care workers are the first in line, following by the elderly, and three weeks later....they get to the firefights, teachers, and police.  

This 15-hour a day operation at the vaccination centers?  Kinda surprising.  You would think that with a dozen folks per shift, and a couple of folks to just stamp your records or take your data....they could get three times the goal of 1,000 per day.  

So the final question....where do German politicians fit into the priority of things?  Are they essential or non-essential?

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