The wealthy shouldn’t be able to skip the priority vaccine queue, says Jonathan Van Tam

The British deputy medical director said any Covid-19 vaccine should be distributed based on clinical priority rather than allowing the richest people to pay to skip the line. On Wednesday, Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said he was unaware of plans to allow people to pay for priority access. Latest news and analysis from the newsletter i. And he said he didn’t think it should be allowed as it was more important to prioritize vaccine delivery based on “who needs it”. Priority to the Vulnerable and the Elderly Prof. Van Tam attended a Downing Street briefing together with the head of the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization to discuss the positive progress of the Covid-19 Vaccine Vaccine to be distributed based on clinical priority (Photo: Reuters) The first doses of the vaccine could, if approved, be distributed in the UK as early as next month. The first priority should be given to health workers, who would be looked after by vulnerable and older members of society. Health Secretary Matt Hancock told lawmakers Tuesday that priority would also be given to staff and residents of health centers. To pay for a vaccine faster, Professor Van Tam said: ‘One of the things I love about the NHS is that it is there for everyone, regardless of their level of wealth. or who they are in society. This is a very important principle for me personally. Read more Covid vaccine: Doctors warn of coronavirus vaccination challenges for GPs already under pressure Health, no wealth Said they are not aware of any plans to consider a deal under which they people could pay privately to get a vaccine first, although “this is a ministry” I give you my opinion as a doctor that I think these vaccines should be a priority for those who need them and not for those who can afford to pay for them privately Health center staff and residents may have vaccine priority. (Photo: Getty) He said he has already encouraged his 78-year-old mother to be ready to get a coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible. prominent as he or the Prime Minister would have to take a vaccine first to prove to the public he was safe, Professor Van-Tam told a Dow briefing ning Street which would have been “at the head of the queue” if authorized. “If I could be first in line I would be, but h We said he was a 56-year-old male with a medium to high risk condition, so there were people with higher priorities.” If I could be rightly and morally first row, then I would, because I fully trust the MHRA’s judgment on safety and efficacy, “he said. Our system.” If I could be on the front line, then I would be. I think the “mother’s test “is very important here. My mother is 78, she will soon be 79 and I already told her:” Mom, make sure when they call you, you are ready, be ready to take it, it is very important to you because your age ‘ Vaccine Behavior May Dictate Order of Priority Prof. Wei Shen Lim of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization said vaccines may behave differently with older people than with younger people, which “can obviously impact the way we prioritize the use of the vaccine “. vaccines become available, we can prioritize vaccines differently for different people, “said Professor Shen Lim. And Dr. June Raine, MHRA’s health regulator, said he will look” very closely “at safety and the efficacy of a vaccine in the elderly. He added that “there was absolutely no chance” that the MHRA would compromise on safety standards to speed up a vaccine. No compromise on safety Dr. Raine said in a briefing Downing Street: “This is an extremely important point. Read more Covid 19 vaccine: Nursing home residents and staff should be given priority as the NHS prepares to launch a new vaccine. ” Although we have adapted our processes to undertake our rigorous review of effectiveness and safety on an ongoing basis, there is absolutely no possibility to compromise on safety or efficacy standard. “Steps that help reassure about this include our independent expert advisory board, which provides an even greater level of independence.