Dec 3, 2020
The accepted wisdom suggests long term care residents and healthcare workers should be at the front of the line when we finally get a COVID-19 vaccine approved. The logic is the elderly and frail are the most vulnerable and our healthcare workers punch the clock day in and day out in a petri dish that cultivates the virus.
On the surface, this makes some sense. But, I only wonder whether we're looking down the wrong end of the telescope on this. The LTC residents aren't contracting COVID-19 simply because they're elderly and frail. They're contracting because an infected person is entering the home.
So, shouldn't we be giving the vaccine to those who are most likely to spread COVID-19 rather than those most likely to get sick and die? Eliminate the spread and we eliminate illnesses, we reduce pressures on hospitals and public health resources.
We discuss that and more in this week's edition of On The Ledge.