Abstract
In high-income countries that were first to roll out coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, older adults have thus far usually been prioritized for these vaccines over younger adults. Age-based priority primarily resulted from interpreting evidence available at the time, which indicated that vaccinating the elderly first would minimize COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations. The World Health Organization counsels a similar approach for all countries. This paper argues that some low- and middle-income countries that are short of COVID-19 vaccine doses might be justified in revising this approach and instead prioritizing certain younger persons when allocating current vaccines or future variant-specific vaccines.
Keywords: COVID-19; age-based prioritization; developing countries; healthcare rationing; vaccines.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Vaccines., developing countries, age-based prioritization, healthcare rationing, 【초록키워드】 coronavirus disease, Coronavirus disease 2019, Vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine, vaccine doses, Vaccines, Adults, healthcare, hospitalizations, death, Evidence, dose, Health Organization, World Health Organization, Older, variant-specific vaccines, approach, country, indicated, 【제목키워드】 priority,