Amid a growing caseload and record-breaking hospitalizations, states and local health departments are working hard to bring vaccines to the public. But they face staff shortages and a shortage of the infrastructure needed to receive, store, track, and administer doses of the vaccine. As a result, some groups of people are receiving fewer than their fair share of the vaccine.
As a consequence, the vaccination rate in the US is slowing. In some areas, the supply is running out of both the vaccine for frontline health care workers and those aged 65 years or older. This is creating frustration and anxiety for both communities and health officials.
The SAGE Roadmap 2022 update recommends that prioritization strategies should aim to reach the most vulnerable communities, including those who are disproportionately affected by the pandemic, such as frontline health and social care workers, elders, and those with underlying health conditions. It also recommends that behavioural parameters such as self-protection levels be taken into account, as they can have a significant impact on optimal vaccine prioritisation strategies.
The model shows that a dynamic prioritized by interactions strategy appears superior to a priority by mortality strategy at daily vaccination rollout rates above circa 0.5%, especially when the population exercises moderately high levels of self-protection. However, at lower vaccination rollout rates and when the lpa of children is very low, the advantage of vaccinating highly interactive groups first disappears. Vaccinating children first leads to a reduction in fatalities of up to 11%, compared to 7% with a priority by interactions strategy without them being vaccinated.
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