As the world braces for a potential coronavirus pandemic, vaccinators are working to distribute the 3 vaccines approved for use. The effort has been unprecedented in scale, ambition and impact in wealthy countries.
However, even though vaccine production is stepping up, it will take time to reach levels that allow mass vaccination to occur. In the meantime, older adults will continue to be at highest risk of infection and death from this pandemic.
A growing literature is analyzing how to optimize the age-stratified SEIR model used in vaccination strategy design given limited vaccine resources. One early study by Bubar et al compared five prioritization strategies and found that targeting the 20-49 year-old group is most effective from a health utility perspective in reducing cases and deaths.
While maximizing the use of available vaccines is critical, it is also essential to ensure that vaccines are distributed in a fair and equitable manner. A key element to achieving this goal is collecting data on race and ethnicity, which is widely underreported. While requiring providers to upload this data can add administrative burdens, it is critical to ensuring that vaccines reach those most in need.
In Colorado, for example, a state task force is distributing vaccine to communities where vaccination uptake has been low. It is using community input to develop and implement strategies that will increase availability and improve communication with vulnerable populations. This approach is a good example of how to balance speed with equity and ensure that all individuals receive the protection offered by vaccines against this pandemic.