Page 2 - aruba-today-20220124

A2 UP FRONT
Monday 24 January 2022
Continued from Front
"You have to pick who
comes first," Leider said.
"The problem is we have
extremely conclusive evi-
dence that (minorities)
across the United States
are having worse COVID
outcomes compared to
white folks. ... Sometimes
it's acceptable to consider
things like race and ethnic-
ity when making decisions
of a computer monitor as Dr. Shane Wilson examines COVID-19
about when resources get
allocated at a societal lev- phis, Mo., on Nov. 24, 2020.
el."
Since the pandemic be-
gan, health care systems and states have been grappling with how to best ties have been missing out State health officials in Utah
distribute treatments. The people who have lung
problem has only grown disease or are pregnant.
worse as the omicron vari- Some states, including Wis-
ant has packed hospitals consin, have implemented
with COVID-19 patients. policies that bar race as a
Considerable evidence factor, but others have al-
suggests that COVID-19 lowed it.
has hit certain racial and St. Louis-based SSM Health,
ethnic groups harder than which serves patients in Il-
whites. Research shows linois, Missouri, Oklahoma
that people of color are and Wisconsin, required
at a higher risk of severe ill- patients to score 20 points
Registered nurse Shelly Girardin, left, is illuminated by the glow ness, are more likely to be on a risk calculator to qual-
patient Neva Azinger inside Scotland County Hospital in Mem- hospitalized and are dying ify for COVID-19 antibody
from COVID-19 at younger treatment. Non-whites
Associated Press ages. automatically got seven
Data also show that minori- points.
on treatments. Last week, adopted a similar risk cal-
the Centers for Disease culator that grants people
Control and Prevention two points if they're not
published an analysis of 41 white. Minnesota's health
health care systems that department guidelines au-
found that Black, Asian and tomatically assigned two
Hispanic patients are less points to minorities. Four
likely than whites to receive points was enough to qual-
outpatient antibody treat- ify for treatment.New York
ment. Omicron has ren- state health officials' guide-
dered two widely available lines authorize antiviral
antibody treatments inef- treatments if patients meet
fective, leaving only one, five criteria. One is having
which is in short supply. "a medical condition or
The Food and Drug Admin- other factors that increase
istration has given health their risk for severe illness."
care providers guidance One of those factors is be-
on when that treatment, ing a minority, according to
sotrovimab, should be the guidelines.
used, including a list of The protocols have be-
medical conditions that come a talking point for
put patients at high risk of Republicans after The Wall
severe outcomes from CO- Street Journal ran an op-ed
VID-19. The FDA's guidance by political commentators
says other factors such as John Judis and Ruy Teixei-
race or ethnicity might also ra this month complaining
put patients at higher risk. that New York's policy is un-
The CDC's list of high-risk fair, unjustified and possibly
underlying conditions notes illegal. Carlson jumped on
that age is the strongest risk Utah's and Minnesota's pol-
factor for severe disease icies last week, saying "you
and lists more than a dozen win if you're not white."
medical conditions. It also Alvin Tillery, a political sci-
suggests that doctors and entist at Northwestern Uni-
nurses "carefully consider versity, called the issue a
potential additional risks winning political strategy
of COVID-19 illness for pa- for Trump and Republicans
tients who are members of looking to motivate their
certain racial and ethnic predominantly white base
minority groups." ahead of midterm elec-
State guidelines generally tions in November. He said
recommend that doctors conservatives are twisting
give priority for the drugs the narrative, noting that
to those at the highest risk, race is only one of a multi-
including cancer patients, tude of factors in every al-
transplant recipients and location policy.q