Will Utahns wait for their turn once the vaccine is released for people with underlying illness?

Instead, the state relies on the honor system. Efforts to shoot the gun as soon as possible, but it will almost certainly lead to abuse as it feels that there are relatively few obstacles that prevent people from skipping the line forward.

Governor Spencer Cox admitted at a press conference Thursday that “people could lie about whether they have one of these underlying health conditions,” where he asked Utahns to follow the rules. I begged.

Requiring documentation as proof of eligibility not only “significantly delays the process of vaccination of these people’s arms” but also “is not suitable for healthcare professionals responsible for providing such documentation. It puts the necessary burden on us. “

As Utah’s death toll from the coronavirus approaches 2,000, a shift to broader access to this vaccine will occur. However, the seven-day average of coronavirus test positives declined under both the state’s traditional measurements (which were still above 10% last week) and the new methodology, which remained at around 6% last week. I am. The number of Utahns fully vaccinated in two doses exceeds 225,000 in the middle of the week, for a total of more than 250,000 on weekends.

What’s happening elsewhere?

As the state began to qualify groups of more residents for vaccination, they took a different approach to the question of whether to require paperwork to vaccinate people in priority groups.

It is not yet known how well the honor system will be implemented here, but Margaret Battin, a professor of philosophy at the University of Utah, asks if the influence of the community of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could have an impact. He said he was wondering. Policy success.

“I think the teachings of the church … tend to discourage line-up behavior,” said Adjunct professor Battin. In the US Medical Ethics and Humanities Program within Internal Medicine. “Doing the right thing and choosing the right thing” are all such moral teachings that many people in this state may not be so true in a more heterogeneous state like New York. May play a role in the actions of. “

Hudachko said the decision was primarily based on feedback from vaccine and healthcare providers that requesting paperwork would create a “serious bottleneck.” He said he could not compare which approach was more effective and that some states had not yet started vaccination of people with underlying health conditions.

Although the honor system has its own problems, Jim Taberi, an associate professor of philosophy in the United States, said he believes that planned vaccine deployment is an “ethically appropriate method.”

“Obviously, when you’re thinking about this, your mind naturally goes to a kind of vaccine line jumper or free loader,” he said. “There may be some, but the question is, what system do you envision to create to get rid of them? And is it really a better system?”

Requiring people to jump over hoops to prove that they have an underlying health condition can be “terribly invasive” for people with disabilities, he said, and access to vaccines. It can also cause fairness issues in gaining. For example, individuals in a hit-colored community may not have access to a healthcare provider to obtain proof of their condition, or may have difficulty quitting their job to make an appointment.

“If you are dealing with someone [in that situation] People with diabetes say, “To get the vaccine, you need to make sure you have diabetes.” Basically, I’m asking you to go see a non-diabetic health care provider. You can access it, “he said. “And perhaps what you are doing is ensuring that no one has access to the vaccine.”

In the past, it has been “relatively easy” for vaccination providers to determine eligibility in Utah, Fudachiko said.

Still, Salt Lake County Health Department spokesman Nicholas Lap said there were some cases where people tried to “trick the system” and were denied at the vaccination site.

“Fortunately, it’s not a widespread issue,” he said. “We have made more people truly misunderstand their eligibility, but even they are not widespread.”

Although the county has not taken a position on the use of the honor system, Mr. Lap said that the Department of Health followed the instructions of the state and governor, “encouraging people to be honest, and vaccines are at the highest risk of being truly serious. Try to go to high people first. Illness. “

Cox announced on Thursday that the vaccine would be released soon to people with underlying illness rather than the previously planned date of March 1, and currently qualified people will be hospitalized for COVID-19. Said the highest risk of death.

And he urged Utan, who was not qualified to make a schedule.

“More vaccines are coming and coming soon, but because of the highest risk of hospitalization or death, we prioritize these individuals based on their age and their potential comorbidities.” He said. “That is, if you go forward, you’ll have other people who can’t get the vaccine right away, and you’re very likely to be hospitalized or even worse.”

A follower of the rules said, “If you know you’re not fooling the system, you can sleep well at night. You’re willing to give it to those who need it most,” he added. ..

As the state releases the vaccine to more people, Tabery said the most ethical thing that people who are not yet vaccinated can do is wait for their turn.

He said there was a legitimate question about the fairness of vaccine deployment. But if, for example, a grocery store employee feels that it should be included in the latest vaccination, the way to deal with it is to contact state leaders and express their concerns. Someone does not take up the issue on their own. hand.

“If someone happens to be in a hospital or pharmacy and a pharmacist or nurse gets into a situation like this,’Hey, we’re taking extra. If we don’t use this, it’s useless.” It would be a mistake not to take it because I said. “

Many people may make these ethical calculations at this stage of state development, but Battin points out that social disgrace and disapproval of those who break the line are the primary defenses to their actions. Did.

Taberi said people sometimes cut the vaccine line and expect it to be news once those cases are identified.

But he is convinced that most Utahns “play according to these rules.”

“I think there is some underlying community thinking in Utah, which provides it well in this situation,” he said. “So I’m sure there are line cutters. I’m sorry they realized that they had to, or could, do so. But they do. I think it’s an exception, not a rule. “