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May 5, 2008 9:17 pm US/Mountain
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Doctors Offer Pandemic 'Live And Let Die' List
DENVER (CBS4) ―
If an influenza pandemic happens, who will get the vaccine first?
Since 2000, Colorado Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ned Calonge and a state committee have been working on a plan to prioritize the distribution of the vaccine.
The Colorado list puts medical workers, public health workers, and other emergency response crews at the top for vaccines.
"We'd like to protect that workforce because we're very worried about having enough doctors and nurses," Calonge said.
The next to be immunized would be those over 65 with high risk conditions and younger people at high risk.
Following that would be pregnant women, government leaders, essential workers and funeral directors.
At the very bottom of the list is healthy people.
"I think that if we can keep healthy people at home and keep from getting the flu, we're still way ahead," Calonge said.
Medical ethicist Dr. Mark Yarborough with the Center for Bioethics at the University of Colorado Denver said rationing health care, from vaccines to ventilators, won't be easy.
"I doubt dilemmas get much bigger than this," he told CBS4.
According to Yarborough, planning now is essential.
"Some would say it's playing God," Yarborough said. "I suppose we could say that about a lot of things in health care. I think we are exercising our professional and moral responsibilities."
This week a national task force whose members come from prestigious universities, medical groups, the military and government agencies came out with a list. The list is not on distributing flu vaccine, but suggesting who doctors should let die in a flu pandemic or disaster. They recommend that the very old, seriously hurt trauma victims, severely burned patients over 60 and those with severe dementia not be treated if resources are scarce.
Dr. Kevin Yeskey, director of the preparedness and emergency operations office at the Department of Health and Human Services, was on the task force. He said the report would be among many the agency reviews as part of preparedness efforts.
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