Front-line workers should be next in line for vaccinations

The article “Call grows for vaccine rollout rethink” in the March 31 edition of The Vancouver Sun makes sense. Prioritizing people for vaccination who reside in nursing homes and over the age of 70 also made sense.

However, as the risk of serious complications from COVID -19 is far less for people under the age of 70, a different approach should be considered.

It is apparent that if vaccine supplies are sufficient, most if not all adults should be vaccinated within the next three months. The question is, who gets the needle first.

Vaccinations should continue for people who are at risk of developing complications due to pre-existing conditions. The success of this approach is apparent from recent statistics. Pre-existing conditions are generally correlated with increased age, but not always.

Vaccinating front-line workers is important. People who deal with the public “face to face” are at greater risk of infection, and can increase the chance of complications.

The virus can only be transmitted by physical contact. Front-line workers who encounter large numbers of people outside their “social bubbles” are more likely to be sources of transmission. As many people infected by the virus do not exhibit symptoms, front-line workers may not realize they are infected. In addition, there is the moral argument that people who provide a valuable service to all of us at personal risk to themselves should be protected.

While it is a pain to have people “jump ahead” in the line for vaccination, a month's delay for most of us is an inconvenience we can tolerate. By the way, I am one of the people who would be affected by a change in vaccination priority. If I feel an urgent need to be protected, I can get the Oxford-astrazeneca vaccine.

John Shepherd, Richmond