New York state announced a preference for non-white people in delivering scarce coronavirus treatment medicines, noting black people have long been the victims of racial discrimination.
New York pursues racial inequities in medical treatment
The newly released memo of New York State’s health department outlined the plan of the state’s administration to distribute COVID treatment medicines.
This included antiviral pills like Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, as well as monoclonal antibody treatments.
In order to receive the treatment, people have to meet some specific standards mentioned in the memo. Included in these standards are factors like the vulnerability of individuals being impacted by COVID-19.
Similarly, one of the “risk factors” included in the eligibility criteria is being a non-white individual, as these people are subjected to everlasting health and social inequities, the memo mentions.
In addition to this, Hispanic/Latino people are explicitly mentioned in the document, as the memo claims these folks are more vulnerable to deaths from COVID, due to the inherited systematic racism present in America.
The spokesperson of the New York State Health Department, Erin Silk, noted these recommendations came from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), claiming they will not disqualify anyone from getting treatment for the viral disease.
New York state’s Department of Health (DOH) announced recently that non-white people should be prioritized over white people for anti-viral pills in short supply. https://t.co/tK2kuZFexY
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 1, 2022
She asserted systematic poverty is just one of the risk factors added in the algorithm of prioritization. According to Silk, this sort of poverty is impacting many people, not only in New York state, but all over the country.
Experts say COVID-19 does not discriminate
Meanwhile, the memo induced backlash from civil society activists and media channels.
Hugh Hewitt, a famous radio host, questioned the constitutionality of the measure, noting that not only the governor, but also the state AG and US Attorney General Merrick Garland, would be responsible.
Monoclonal antibodies have a good record of saving lives and helping people have less severe hospitalizations in the case of coronavirus. Many doctors already started feeling the consequences of race-based medical treatment in the state.
A Staten Island doctor noted, under the condition of anonymity, that he filed two Paxlovid’s prescriptions this week; the pharmacist asked him to disclose the patient’s race before authorizing the treatment, however.
The doctor claimed he has never been asked this question in his 30 years of service, and the latest trends suggest a “slippery slope” out there.
I can’t believe I have to say this but medical treatment based on race is wrong.
We don’t need to limit who gets treatment, we must be ready to treat all.
Now you see how quickly the left’s “healthcare for all” becomes healthcare for those we choose https://t.co/2A0XpDBosf
— Tudor Dixon (@TudorDixon) December 31, 2021
Martin Kulldorff, an epidemiologist from Harvard, ruled out the possibility race could be a factor in making people vulnerable to COVID.
He claimed while it is true African Americans died of COVID in New York in greater numbers, this is due to the fact rich people have been working from home.
Meanwhile, the working class, including most African Americans, were exposed to the virus from working outside.
