Massachusetts state lawmakers urge Charlie Baker to rescind new vaccine eligibility for younger companions
"The companion system is most likely to benefit residents who are white and more affluent."
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More than 20 state representatives are calling on Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker to rescind a new policy allowing younger companions to get a COVID-19 vaccine alongside residents over the age of 75, amid concerns about equity and safety.
“The strategy allows healthy, younger residents to get vaccinated ahead of seniors, essential workers, and others most at-risk of death/illness,” said state Rep. Tami Gouveia, an Acton Democrat and former public health worker, who led a letter Thursday urging Baker to halt the “companion system.”
https://www.facebook.com/TamiGouveiaMA/posts/701313933878028
The new eligibility, which took effect Thursday, allows individuals of any age accompanying a resident over the age of 75 with an appointment at one of the state’s mass vaccination sites to schedule their own appointment to get a vaccine around the same time. It was announced Wednesday, nearly two weeks after the state began allowing all residents over the age of 75 to begin signing up for appointments.
Baker has argued that allowing younger individuals accompanying members of the vulnerable group to get a vaccine will allow the state to more quickly expand eligibility to other groups prioritized in Phase 2 of the rollout, such as people over 65, essential workers, and those with underlying health conditions. During a press conference Wednesday, he rejected the notion that the policy would mean those groups would have to wait longer.
“I think just the opposite,” he told reporters after announcing the new policy. “I think what’s more likely to happen is you’ll get a lot more of the 75-year-old community to agree to come and get vaccinated because they’ll be willing to ask somebody to help them come with them. And that will make it easier to move into the next round.”
However, lawmakers say that the companion system “fails to address logistical, financial, and other barriers experienced by many seniors — especially seniors of color — those who are low-income, and those who are not able to travel long distances due to illness or frailty.”
“The vaccination plan, and the latest companion vaccination strategy, benefits families that have a reliable car, those who can take time off of work, and those who don’t have other work, familial, or health obligations,” the letter said. “In other words, the companion system is most likely to benefit residents who are white and more affluent. This only further exacerbates our state’s health inequities and the burden of COVID-19 on our Black and Brown communities.”
As the state continues to deal with limited supply of vaccine doses, lawmakers noted it was “possible” that half of the 50,000 new appointments that were made available Thursday at the state’s mass vaccination sites could go to healthy adults, including grandchildren in the least vulnerable age group of 18 to 30 year olds.
They also raised the possibility that a single senior could get multiple family members early access to the vaccine, by bringing “one companion with them for their first dose and a different companion with them to their second dose.”
Lawmakers also argued that the strategy could be “dangerous” for seniors, noting how strangers on Craigslist, Facebook, and other websites immediately began posting offers this week to provide rides — some with offers to pay money — to seniors so they could also get the vaccine.
“We have already seen our seniors targeted by scams related to the COVID-19 vaccine and treatment,” the letter said. “This could open up additional opportunities for individuals with mal-intent to prey upon seniors who are desperate to get the vaccine and lack the transportation to do so themselves, or, who are desperate for additional financial support and will accept compensation for bringing a complete stranger along as their companion.”
To address the “fundamental factors” contributing to the fact that some seniors have yet to get the vaccine, the group said the state should dedicate resources and doses to stand up vaccine doses through local health departments, which have built up experience and relationships in their respective communities.
“They have done nothing short of begging to do this for weeks,” the letter said.
They also argued that Baker should leverage the “capacity of local housing authorities, senior centers, community centers, community hospitals, health centers, and other local organizations to provide vaccines,” though administration officials have said the mass vaccination sites are a more efficient model.
“We share your commitment to getting as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible,” said the letter Thursday. “But, we encourage you to balance the strong desire to improve our per capita vaccination rates with a steadfast commitment to vaccinating those who are the most vulnerable and who have been historically marginalized.”
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