Truly angry.
One thing about this virus was clear from the very early days: it is disproportionately dangerous to the elderly. We knew it as soon as we started counting bodies, and it’s been confirmed since. It’s in the numbers. No matter how often the media have tried telling us it is equally deadly for everyone – it is not. Just look at the numbers.
So when we finally have a vaccine, what does Italy do? It vaccinates the young.
In Italy, people aged 70 and older account for nearly 90% of Covid-19 deaths. But the government gives 90% of vaccines to people aged under 70.
Look at a more detailed age distribution, and it’s even worse:
People under 30 account for 0.1% of Covid-19 deaths; they get over 10% of vaccines;
People between 30 and 40 account for 0.2% of deaths; they get 15% of vaccines;
People between 40 and 50 account for 0.8% of deaths; they get nearly 20% of vaccines;
That's almost half of vaccines going to age brackets accounting for 1% of fatalities. The number of people in their 30s and 40s who’ve been vaccinated is five times larger than people in their 80s.
This is unconscionable. It’s immoral. Imagine if, in the midst of a deep recession, we gave most unemployment benefits to those who are still employed and least likely to lose their jobs. This is a lot worse.
People aged 70 and over account for nearly 18% of the population – they got 13% of vaccinations. Even as a share of the population they are being discriminated against.
The government decided to prioritize health care workers, who got 70% of vaccinations so far. The rationale is that front line workers are more likely to be exposed and spread contagion – but health experts insist you can still spread the virus even after you have been vaccinated so this rationale seems quite weak.
Surely the top priority should be to protect the most vulnerable.
Follow the science – yeah, right.
This really makes me angry.