126. Black Market Vaccines

Somehow almost a full year has passed since Covid has entered our lives, and although the vaccine is certainly some much needed good news, especially coming at a time of rising cases and hospitalizations, the vaccine comes along with its own set of challenges. The primary question being, who should get the vaccine first and what should be the hierarchy of recipients as the vaccine is rolled out over the next few months? An example of this that hit close to home for a lot of us was the story that broke this week about the Parcare Community Health Network, which serves predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in and around NYC. While current NY regulations state that only frontline healthcare workers and nursing home residents and staff are currently eligible to receive the vaccine, Parcare was administering vaccines to many people not in these categories, including some prominent modern Orthodox Rabbis. This week, we ask, what happened there? And how should we be making decisions about prioritization of vaccination? Parcare Scandal: https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-brooklyn-covid-vaccine-probe-20201228-gp56ud4vxrb6na5ujowpqvjazq-story.html Yair Hoffman: https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/1932616/the-vaccine-scandal-the-cdc-and-murder.html Kathleen Dooling CDC Presentation: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/downloads/slides-2020-11/COVID-04-Dooling.pdf NYT Whom Do We Save First With The Vaccine: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/24/magazine/who-should-get-the-covid-vaccine-next.html Healthworker Letter Supporting BLM Protests: https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/05/health/health-care-open-letter-protests-coronavirus-trnd/index.html Losing Trust in the CDC: https://www.persuasion.community/p/why-im-losing-trust-in-the-institutions Mayor De Blasio and Vaccine Priority Zip Codes: https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/de-blasios-perfect-patsies SNL Christmas Time For The Jews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGzO1ghRKp4