Good afternoon,
The business community got some good news yesterday when the Carney Administration set an April 6 date to make everyone age 16 and over eligible for Covid-19 vaccine.
As Gov. John Carney noted during a press briefing yesterday, the previous revision that added people with pre-existing conditions came with its own set of challenges.
One issue was putting the burden of determining eligibility in the hands of family physicians who kept staffing on the lean side during this telemedicine era.
Some employers faced challenges in getting younger workers vaccinated if staffs were not in the “essential” category but worked in cramped settings.
Hospital systems took up some of the slack with their own sign-up lists that did not appear to require referrals.
As the governor noted, expanded eligibility will take the “friction” out of the process. For a time, the friction will be replaced by frustration, especially among Type A personalities when appointments are not immediately available.
State public health officials have seen this movie before. They know that the initial surge will be replaced by virtually everyone capable of getting to a vaccination site receiving an invitation.
We’re already seeing this happen with the category over 50. Next week, everyone on the state’s sign-up list will likely get an appointment.
That clears the way for those 16 and over to move through the vaccine queue.
For better or worse, social media will remain a source of information on vaccine events from community groups and others that may get full-blown announcements that draw vaccine hunters.
It is also a misinformation source based on the Facebook trolling during the governor’s Covid-19 briefings.
Hanging over the whole process is an uptick in cases that comes with increased economic activity, travel, and faster-spreader Covid-19 variants. Getting more people vaccinated becomes the top priority while not forgetting the most vulnerable.
Also worth mentioning is the gender gap. While women outnumber men in Delaware, it is clear that males are far more likely to shun vaccines, even when you consider factors like the large percentage of women in health care.
Current figures on the state’s tracker show women getting vaccine outnumber men by a 61 to 39 percent margin.
Come on, guys. You can’t be that scared of a needle! – Doug Rainey, chief content officer.
