Question

I believe several others of you have mentioned the development of a vaccine. One critical decision we'll have to make is, if and when a COVID vaccine is available, how will it be manufactured and distributed. Who gets it first? Who has to get it? Who has to wait? How are health disparities addressed? (King, 2020). These are just a few of the vital questions that will have to be answered.

If you were in charge of this decision, what criteria would you use or how would you decide who gets the vaccine first?

Answer 1

One critical decision we'll have to make is, if and when a COVID vaccine is available, how will it be manufactured and distributed.

answer:To successfully combat the coronavirus ,the vaccine with the effective formula and the effective molecular composition  or protein content has to be manufactured on a large scale with multicentric manufacturing approach.It involves collaboration among the various vaccine manufacturing pharmaceutical units .For this to happen, there must be legalized data sharing amongst the various pharmaceutical companies for the successful vaccine molecule manufacture with multicentric manufacture of the vaccine. All the vaccines which have had successful clinical trials and are approved for use in the general public must be manufactured at an accelerated rate.

The distribution of the vaccine must follow the tiered priority approach within the framework of predefined, preset distributary laws and regulations. The vaccine should be distributed to the high risk groups at first in an phased institutionalized manner followed by their availability to the general population as a part of the national immunization program. The ideal distribution of the vaccine has to be to one and all ,that is the entire population but as there is the predictable shortage of the vaccine; the distribution has to be controlled and streamlined first to the targeted groups followed by the distribution to the general population  

Who gets it first?

Answer:The highest risk or the maximal risk priority groups gets the vaccine first

The maximal risk groups who are daily exposed to the coronavirus(Frontline workers) and at high risk of infection and susceptibility from the disease like the health care workers, the national security forces and the daily services providers like sanitation workers and essential service workers get the vaccine first.

Who has to get it?

Answer:The entire population has to get the vaccine; The highest risk /maximal risk groups followed by the intermediate risk groups have to be vaccinated first.This includes the Healthcare workers,security forces,essential services workers, older adults(>65) ,people with pre existing chronic diseases like COPD, Diabetes mellitus.Patients especially older adults in long-term nursing care facilities, groups which have been affected by coronavirus in large numbers and certain at risk racioethnic and socioeconomic groups found to have high morbidity and mortality from coronavirus.Following this,the entire general population has to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to decrease the mortality and morbidity from the coronavirus disease and attain the containment of the disease transmission.

Who has to wait?

answer: The entire general population with low risk of coronavirus inclusive of healthy young adults, healthy middle aged people and healthy children with low exposure and low risk of mortality and morbidity that is, individuals without any pre existing diseases or immunocompromised status and all those who are not highly susceptible to coronavirus by virtue of their work (Frontline workers) by.daily exposure to the virus, age-related susceptibility ,health-related susceptibility and environmental or ethnicoracial related susceptibility to the coronavirus will have to wait to get the coronavirus vaccine

The minimal or low risk priority  group of general population has to wait. The highest risk groups with the maximal risk of infection and mortality followed by the intermediate risk groups have to be vaccinated first.

How are health disparities addressed?

answer:Health Disparity refers to a high burden of the disease specific to a group of population. A group of population may be highly susceptibility to have the coronavirus disease with increased mortality and morbidity from the disease. Health Disparity is strongly influenced by the socio economic ,racio ethnic and environmental factors. For example, people from the lower socioeconomic groups staying in small ;over crowded houses and close clusters may be more susceptible to coronavirus infection than the others and also certain racioethnic groups,older adults, chronically sick adults and those in institutionalized care

This disparity with respect to the coronavirus disease has to be correctly identified using the demographic data,disease data and the epidemiological tools and has to be addressed by prioritizing the remedial preventive measures like care prioritization ,early investigation.prompt intervention, sanitary measures,segregation if possible and priority vaccine administration to the groups who are at high risk of susceptibility,morbidity and the mortality from the coronavirus.These groups should be given the vaccine first at priority as compared to the general population in order to address the health disparity.

Thus,the health disparities can be addressed with respect to the coronavirus disease.

If you were in charge of this decision, what criteria would you use or how would you decide who gets the vaccine first?

answer:If I were in charge of this decision, The criteria I would use is at risk(need-based priority) criteria

Explanation and rationalization:criteria at risk(need-based priority) criteria

The at-risk population has to be prioritized and given the vaccine first. This includes the frontline workers like healthcare workers,security forces,sanitation workers,daily needs providers,older adults people with pre existing chronic diseases like COPD ,Diabetes mellitus.People and older adults in long-term nursing care facility, clustered livings like prisoners,mental health care institutions,defense training institutions,at risk racioethnic socioeconomic groups which have been affected by coronavirus in large numbers.

If I were in charge of priority distribution and administration of the coronavirus vaccine that is who would use the coronavirus vaccine first, I would use the below criteria

FIRST tier:maximal risk priority groups:emergency need for vaccine

1at-risk populations with the high degree of daily exposure(Frontline workers) to coronavirus droplets like healthcare workers,the national security forces and the daily services providers like sanitation workers and essential service providers or workers.

2. at risk population with poor immunity and high mortality from coronavirus due to chronic diseases at like older adults>65years, adults with pre-existing chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus,COPD,adults with immunocompromised conditions.

Second tier:intermediate risk priority group:urgent need for vaccine

1..at-risk population with highest rates of coronavirus transmission in their environmental factors increasing their environmental susceptibility like a people in long term care facilities,prisoners,defense institutions,mental care institutions.

2.Pregnant women, susceptible children with congenital heart diseases,mental retardation

3.at-risk population suffering from high mortality and morbidity from coronavirus vaccine as seen in certain ethnic,racial and socioeconomic groups.

third tier:minimal risk priority groups: essential need for vaccine

The entire general population has to be vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to decrease the mortality and morbidity from the coronavirus disease and attend to contain the disease transmission. The entire population receives priority once the highest risk groups and the intermediate risk groups have been vaccinated for the coronavirus