Races – A Criterion In The Prioritization Of Availability Of Covid Treatment

The entry of omicron into the Covid-19 pandemic has challenged the healthcare system, which is already fighting tooth and nail to revamp the shortages of the treatments available for Covid-19.

Races – A Criterion In The Prioritization Of Availability Of Covid Treatment

It has subsequently drawn attention to prioritizing the distribution of the already scarce treatments among different communities.

The decision of certain conservatives came over the media, revealing that they are targeting specific policies to provoke doctors to see race as a significant criterion in the allocation of Covid-19 treatment, which might go against the white communities.

The question of who will get the medicine first is looming over these times because there aren’t enough treatment facilities available. In such a situation, the people of color or the minorities all over the United States are supposed to be on the good side as they are the worst sufferers of all.

The societal pressure they face is adjacent to the health complications created by the disease and they are seen to die at an earlier age due to Covid-19. They are the prey to the worst consequences of Covid-19 but also the unequal distribution of the treatment due to the discriminatory practices associated with race and ethnicity.

This is not just a mere statement, but a well-researched fact. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data revealed the analysis of health care systems discriminating against Blacks, Asians, and Hispanics in the outpatient antibody treatments.

 The issue of redistribution and the consideration of race and ethnicity in the vulnerable categories have intensified the challenge since the intrusion of the omicron variant came into the picture, overwhelming the medical institutions.

The vaccine-proof nature of omicrons that escapes specific vaccine-induced antibodies has left the world with minimal treatment options.

 There is a drug available, namely, sotrovimab for the treatment of Covid-19, for which there is a list of guidelines issued by the FDA regarding the usage of the drug. In the list of several medical conditions in which the drug ought to be supplied, the criteria of race and ethnicity were involved.

These factors can put the patient in a vulnerable condition, making them more prone to the worst consequences. Even the CDC has issued guidelines over several medical conditions to be considered under risk factors, age being one of the most crucial criteria, including the ethnic minority and race.

Patients with existing health conditions like cancer patients, pregnant ladies, and transplant recipients are generally recommended to be given the topmost priority for Covid treatment.

The issue was aired while interviewing former President Donald Trump and the republican Sen Marco Rubio, who revealed the policies. In a recent event, New York was sued over the allocation guidelines where the race was included as a risk factor by one of the conservative law firms who have been pressuring several other states to drop such policies to bar the race as a factor.

New York had policies where one needs to fulfill five criteria that would increase their risk of severe illness to access the treatment. One of the criteria they had was being from the minority community.

Several states like Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin included risk calculators in measuring the amount of risk the patient is exposed to. So these states need 20 points to come on a priority list. The racial communities were automatically given seven points. Some state health officials have policies granting two points for non-whites and two points to minorities.

This was widely rumored as a potential election manifesto criticizing several such policies that favored the racial-ethnic and minority communities.