When I saw Dr. Anthony Fauci rolling up the sleeve of his blue button-down, averting his eyes (don’t we all) and getting inoculated with other health-care workers, my first thought was: I’ll have what he’s having. My second: It’s time to divert some of our worry over those resisting the vaccine to those all too eager to get it, like me.
There are CDC guidelines setting priorities: frontline workers and those in nursing homes, followed by essential workers, the elderly and on down the line until you get to prisoners who don’t have a prayer. States take over from there—remember how well that went for testing?—and their plans are vague. One state speaks of a “living document” (we can change it) of evolving public-private partnerships (corporations, especially ones with lobbyists, are essential people too my friend), sub-stratification of groups (an insurance adjuster is just a memo to the file away from a postal worker), and independent pharmacies (servicing the concierge trade that makes house calls for $10,000 extra a year).Talk to doctors and regulators and they concede, it’s largely an honor system.
That’s fine. We are good people who wouldn’t elbow our way in front of a hospital orderly if he were right in front of us. But after that, I could see, for instance, the young and healthy Jared and Ivanka as early consumers. In his role of failed real estate investor, Kushner had no compunction about taking advantage of the CARES Act. Does anyone think Javanka, along with household staff and drivers, won’t jump the line to fly to a warmer spot to swim, or a colder one to ski, during the holidays?
