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On Waiting Lists and COVID
Jan. 11th, 2021 01:48 pmBack in the before times, when SCA feasts were a thing, I have a friend who did something a little odd before each one. When the organizers were making their attendance lists this person would always ask to be "the first on the waiting list", and not on the reserve list. That is to say, if there was 100 seats available, they wanted to be person 101, even if the organizers had only reached 50.
You see, they have a medical condition that dictates what they can or cannot eat on a daily basis. And while they wanted to participate in the feast, they couldn't guarantee that they could, because maybe that was a bread and water day. They didn't want to reserve a spot and then bail at the last minute, when that spot could have gone to someone who would have definitely gone.
On the other hand, by being "first on the waiting list", if they were in a position to eat rich foods, they could take advantage of someone else not showing up.
I think it shows a remarkable social efficiency. On on hand, you're not wasting resources you can't use; on the other hand, you're giving an opportunity to others to not waste their resources.
So what does this have to do with COVID? Here is what Israel is doing.
There are several tiers for Canada as I understand it (no cites, just hearsay):High risk patients, old folks, primary health providers.
health care "adjacent" and front line workers in vital retail (grocery store clerks and such).
Everyone else. Note: This is where I am.
I worry that we'll get so caught up making sure that undeserving people don't skip the line that we waste vaccine to bureaucratic timing. This won't be a problem right away, because the capacity for high priority patients is much larger than our current capacity. But there will come a day in a few months, where that dries up. This is especially true here in Alberta, where the Conservative government will always do things in the worst possible way. Especially for anything that smacks of socialism - like vaccinating for the common good.
In the mean time, I just want to put a bug in the ear of anyone I know in health care. If you find out that vaccine doses are going to be wasted, give me a call. I'll drop what I'm doing and head to where you are. But it has to be a true waste. if you've got someone - anyone - handy who needs it more than me, give it to them. But if that vial is going in the trash, might as well stick it in my arm instead. I'm happy to be first on the waiting list.
You see, they have a medical condition that dictates what they can or cannot eat on a daily basis. And while they wanted to participate in the feast, they couldn't guarantee that they could, because maybe that was a bread and water day. They didn't want to reserve a spot and then bail at the last minute, when that spot could have gone to someone who would have definitely gone.
On the other hand, by being "first on the waiting list", if they were in a position to eat rich foods, they could take advantage of someone else not showing up.
I think it shows a remarkable social efficiency. On on hand, you're not wasting resources you can't use; on the other hand, you're giving an opportunity to others to not waste their resources.
So what does this have to do with COVID? Here is what Israel is doing.
Here is a prime example from today to Israel "organized chaos". End of the day in a vaccine center. A few doses left and will expire. Nurses go out, spot a pizza delivery guy, call him "pizza guy wanna vaccine?", jab, and another person has spike mRNA!I don't think Canada needs to do "organized chaos", but I would love to see something like the airline boarding method. If you're high priority, you board first. But they don't hold up the line for economy just because one dude in first class hasn't boarded yet. You keep loading the plane, and when tardy first class dude shows up, let him on right away.
There are several tiers for Canada as I understand it (no cites, just hearsay):
I worry that we'll get so caught up making sure that undeserving people don't skip the line that we waste vaccine to bureaucratic timing. This won't be a problem right away, because the capacity for high priority patients is much larger than our current capacity. But there will come a day in a few months, where that dries up. This is especially true here in Alberta, where the Conservative government will always do things in the worst possible way. Especially for anything that smacks of socialism - like vaccinating for the common good.
In the mean time, I just want to put a bug in the ear of anyone I know in health care. If you find out that vaccine doses are going to be wasted, give me a call. I'll drop what I'm doing and head to where you are. But it has to be a true waste. if you've got someone - anyone - handy who needs it more than me, give it to them. But if that vial is going in the trash, might as well stick it in my arm instead. I'm happy to be first on the waiting list.
