New Vaccines and Who Should Get Them First

 So three companies have highly-effective vaccines against the novel coronavirus. There is a worldwide need and the burning question for them and the politicians who guide them is this:

Who gets vaccinated first?

Many writers have written treatises on the topic, so mine will be short. Some have suggested giving the vaccine to the most vulnerable first; the elderly, those with significant health issues, and preexisting conditions have been suggested.

I disagree.

While saving a life--any life--is highly desirable, the already-sick and elderly are not the first group of people that should be given the vaccine first. Why, you ask? Because they are neither likely to spread either the disease nor increase resistance to it.

No, the people who should be given the vaccine first are the social butterflies and those who insist on attending large gatherings where mask-wearing and social distancing are not seen as necessary. Vaccinating them will help spread the resistance and will allow a faster 'herd immunity' than would happen with any other single group.

So find all the authoritarian cultists around the world, young people who think they are not going to "get" the disease, and those who want to crowd into a bar with other non-wearers. Vaccinate gig workers and those "essential" workers who have no choice but to continue working in places with patrons who might not wear a mask or see the value in protecting others lives. Definitely give the vaccine to health care workers and those on the front lines of protecting us.

After they have been vaccinated, they will go out into the world - remember, this a worldwide suggestion, not just for us - and not be part of the super-spreader group they were before. The active virus will not be transferred and fewer people will get sick faster.

Then the vaccine can be given to those people like me who don't go anywhere and who avoid crowded spaces. The economies will improve and life can begin to return to something recognizable as 'normal.' Doing anything else merely slows the process.

Think about it.

Our "Modern" Health Care System and Health

I have written this before and I will probably write it again after this time. 

 

I am watching this week's episode of a weekly New York Times show called The Weekly. During these shows, various reporters highlight some story. This week, the show is about the staggeringly high cost of what are called "orphan drugs." These are drugs specifically designed by Big Pharma to combat a specific, highly rare disease. There are about 7,000 of these "orphan diseases" in the country now, affecting about 30,000 patients, sometimes only a hundred or so at a time. Many of them are hereditary.

The cost can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, per patient, per disease, per year. So if a Mom has it, her kids probably will, too, as will theirs. Do the math and try to imagine what you would do if you did not have an employer-sponsored health plan that had the right approach.

I am so glad my health is generally great for a 70-year old male. I take no prescription meds (save those my dentist gave me, which have a limited life), I have no infirmities that prevent me from doing normal, age-related activities, I have no need for joint replacement, and I pretty much enjoy my life as it is.

Even with the excellent Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan I carry, I cannot imagine taking a drug that would cost as much as an orphan drug might. And Big Pharma charges whatever they want; the law allows them to do it. Someone pays the billions of dollars in executive bonuses...you and I do.

Our health care system is totally broken. Totally.