[국제]Wealthy Americans try to’cut off vaccine’ to pay tens of thousands

It has been argued that some wealthy people in the United States are trying to cut through the corona 19 vaccination by offering large donations.

On the 18th, the American daily newspaper Los Angeles Times reported that “the rich are inquiring about cutting in the corona vaccine, saying that they will pay tens of thousands of dollars in cash.”

On the 14th, the US started vaccination three days after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the emergency use of the Pfizer-Bioentech vaccine. Due to the lack of initial supply, strict vaccination priorities have been established. Vaccines are given to the general public after vaccinations for healthcare workers and nursing home residents, essential industrial workers, underlying diseases, and the elderly over 65 years of age. However, some wealthy people are asking for an advance in vaccination rankings, saying that they will donate large sums to hospitals.

One of the first hospitals to secure the corona vaccine, Dr. Jeff Tall, of the Cedarsyne Medical Center in Los Angeles, recently asked a wealthy customer, “If I donate 25,000 dollars (about 28 million won), can I get the vaccine first?” I answered the phone. Dr. Toll rejected the offer, but the wealthy’s attempts to get the vaccine first using money, power and influence continue.

The industry has previously warned that a shortage of early Corona 19 vaccines could create a black market. In particular, concerns have arisen that health workers may give the vaccine to friends, family, or the most paying people first.

Hospitals with wealthy customers early secured additional facilities, including expensive special cryogenic freezers, to store vaccines. “I get hundreds of calls every day from people who want vaccination,” said Dr. Esan Ali, who runs a hospital in Beverly Hills.

Doctors are in a position to follow public health guidelines and receive the vaccines in the order suggested by the federal government, but hospitals with pre-secured vaccine storage facilities are likely to have the most favorable position when supplies are released. “They don’t want to wait. They just want to know how to get the vaccine faster,” said the anonymous doctor in charge of VIP.

In particular, it is pointed out that the criteria for the priority vaccination are ambiguous and can be abused. This is because detailed priority standards have not been established for the elderly over 65 years of age and essential workers who are subject to priority vaccination. Currently, about 12 million people (two-thirds of the state’s workforce) in California alone are classified as essential industrial workers.

“This ambiguity is an opportunity for the wealthy to claim that they meet the priority standards,” said Glen Ellis, a bioethicist at the University of Tuskegee.

YTN PLUS Reporter Jeong Yoon-joo
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[저작권자(c) YTN & YTN plus 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]

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