Politicians, health authorities and ethicists struggle with impossible decisions. Given the absence of sufficient vaccines for everyone, who to vaccinate first? Teachers? The elderly? Minorities? People with underlying medical conditions? The list goes on and the arguments for each population category are made. We would untie the ethical Gordian knot on this criterion: consistency.
Why was there a lockdown? To save lives. Why are we asked to wear masks? To save lives. Why have synagogues and churches been shut down? To save lives. Why are weddings, funerals and other large gatherings virtually criminalized? To save lives.
Consistency would dictate that the ethic which has governed the pandemic up to now should also govern it in prioritizing first recipients of the vaccine. They should be the sub-population whose death rate from COVID is highest. They are, statistically speaking — by far — the elderly. It should receive the first batch of doses.
Needless to say, one could argue for other cohorts on the basis of saving lives — but it’s a longer-term argument, or it is not statistically documented. The heart is torn apart by reports that COVID-induced isolation increases the suicide rate. The passion for justice is deeply offended by reports that minorities lose more to COVID than the majority of the population. But these and other instances do not, by the evidence, quantitatively rise to the death rate among the elderly.
We do not compare lives. We do not ask, whose life is worth more than others? We only save lives. We do not relish the decision to prioritize, but prioritize we must — to save more lives. That is why the elderly should come first. Not to mention, the quicker the most endangered population is immunized the quicker we all return too normal.
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