IT’S NOT YET TIME FOR A VICTORY LAP
Political leaders and government officials continue to make positive statements about the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I can only imagine the pressure they face, but that pressure pales in comparison to the toll this virus has taken on the most vulnerable among us. It is time for the truth. The people must be told what we need to hear, not what we want to hear.
Now is not the time for a victory lap. We are not victorious. This is not what victory looks like. There is a lot more to be done. Residents of nursing homes have been the victims of a system that isn’t prepared to protect them. Latinos in California are dying at horrifying rates. What are we doing? The most recent surge gave us our answer: not enough. Too much attention has been given to opening businesses and amusement parks. We have been so focused on the money interests and public opinion that we’ve been willing to sacrifice vulnerable older adults and Latinos in the process. It’s no time to claim victory.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to older adults and communities of color. Far too many children have lost their grandparents and great-grandparents to an unnecessary early death. Forty-two thousand deaths in California have occurred in people over the age of 65. At least 30 percent of these deaths have occurred in vulnerable older adults living in long-term care homes. Forty percent of older adult deaths have occurred among Latinos, despite the fact that Latinos only represent 20 percent of the state’s elders. Even more alarming is the fact that Latino deaths account for nearly 70 percent of all deaths in Californians under the age of 65. The reality is that a significant percentage of Latinos live in multigenerational households. COVID-19 is at its most lethal in enclosed spaces with a high concentration of people. Poor working conditions, whether it be in nursing homes, meatpacking plants or other venues, have demonstrated that cheap labor is valued over the lives of those who work in these environments. They have brought the virus home with them and killed both themselves and their elders. It’s no time to claim victory.
In June, I testified before the state Assembly Health and Aging and Long-Term Care committees regarding what was then over 2,000 nursing home resident deaths. In October, I testified before the Assembly Budget Committee about what was then over 4,000 nursing home deaths. On both occasions, representatives from the state made positive remarks about the efforts being taken to protect our most vulnerable citizens. Today, with nearly 9,000 official deaths in nursing homes — a number that is most certainly undercounted — we can momentarily breathe and express some confidence due to the positive impact of the vaccine. This is not what victory looks like. We cannot rest. We must not rest. We don’t know how long the vaccines are good for, and when booster shots will be necessary. As the state reopens, we have to recognize the possibility of additional surges. The combination of immunity wearing off with further surges will only serve to kill more vulnerable older adults and Latinos. It’s no time to claim victory.
The vaccine will soon be made available to all Californians. That’s great news. Have we done enough to make sure that those who have been at the greatest risk of dying are being vaccinated? I don’t think so. People are still dying every day in our state from COVID-19. Older adults are still dying. Latinos are still dying.
Where are our priorities? Isn’t it time that we have full transparency in regard to those who continue to die from this scourge? Isn’t it finally time that we double down on our efforts to protect those who haven’t been able to protect themselves? Nursing homes and assisted-living facilities will require an intensive ongoing effort to vaccinate residents and frontline staff. What efforts are being taken to make sure that happens? It’s sad enough that delays in the rollout of the vaccine in nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and group homes have already been responsible for thousands of unnecessary deaths.
While our leaders speak about equity, we haven’t actually delivered the vaccine equitably. Poor communities of color deserve and require an intensive ongoing effort to vaccinate those who have been dying at excessive and unnatural rates. It’s no time to claim victory.
Have we done enough to make sure that those who have been at the greatest risk of dying are being vaccinated? I don’t think so.
Wasserman is a geriatrician who was a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine’s Committee for the Equitable Allocation of the COVID-19 Vaccine. He is a member of California’s Community Vaccine Advisory Committee. He lives in Newbury Park.