A new report reveals frontline healthcare workers, emergency services personnel and the most vulnerable should be the first to get any eventual coronavirus vaccine. The report released by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security says, “The primary reason for including these candidate groups within Tier 1 is that their prioritization would likely avert the greatest overall harm.”
There are 29 vaccines in human trials around the world, four of which are in the US. Federal government health officials say they expect to know whether one or more of them works safely by the end of the year and hope to start distribution sometime. “It may take many months before most US residents have access to vaccination; bottlenecks at various stages of the vaccine manufacturing process could cause further delays in vaccine availability,” the report said.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the National Academy of Medicine are currently debating who should get one first. They said, “It is important to emphasise that we are not providing a set of definitive recommendations about who should be prioritised for vaccination.”
Meanwhile, the report said, “Vaccination will not eradicate SARS-CoV-2 from the planet, and Covid-19 is likely to become an endemic disease, even after widespread vaccination, due to the occurrence of sporadic cases and occasional outbreaks.” There are also cost considerations. “Although there may be no out-of-pocket cost for the vaccine itself for most people, related costs – such as travel to a vaccination location or the need to take off from work – could create a financial hurdle for some.”
