[ad_1]
Protests erupted at Stanford University Medical Center Hospital in California on Friday, where medical residents and frontline fellows staged a strike in frustration over the botched distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine by the hospital.
“First in the room! Back of the line!” they shouted, according to a video posted on Twitter.
Protesters accused the medical center of prioritizing more experienced doctors and other medical workers who do not have direct contact with patients over employees most at risk of contracting Covid-19 from patients.
“We came here after learning that only seven of 1,349 residents had been selected for the first wave of vaccinations,” Charles Marcus, a third-year resident, told NBC Bay Area.
Stanford outlined its vaccine deployment plan earlier this week, saying the vaccines would be available from Friday and would first be given to healthcare workers who “provide direct care and services to patients, those who are those most at risk of exposure to COVID-19. and those at high risk of complications from the disease. “
This did not happen, protesters said. Instead, an algorithm was used to select 5,000 workers who would be the first in line, according to a survey released by ProPublica. The algorithm did not include residents who did not have an assigned “location” in the hospital to add to the calculation.
As a result, residents, who are considered the lowest ranked physicians but who work very closely with patients, were excluded from the first round of vaccines.
In a letter to colleagues, Stanford medical officials said they were “very sorry” for the vaccine distribution plan and were working on developing a revised version.
“We take full responsibility and apologize to you. We fully recognize that we should have acted more quickly to rectify the mistakes which resulted in a result we did not expect. We are very sorry,” said they stated in the letter signed by the Presidents and CEOs of Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s Health, as well as the Dean and Chief Medical Officers of the Faculty of Medicine.
“We recognize the disappointment and distress this has caused, and we appreciate those who brought these concerns to us,” they said in the letter. “We deeply appreciate each member of our community and the inordinate contributions you make to our mission every day, especially during this particularly difficult year.
A similar incident occurred at a Los Angeles area hospital where a marketing executive and his wife, who are not following county guidelines for vaccine prioritization, were given doses this week. Los Angeles County public health officials said they were investigating.
Friday’s protests at Stanford closed a painful week for California, which is quickly becoming the center of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States
Governor Gavin Newsom this week activated a “massacre” program in response to the staggering number of Covid-19 cases and the shortage of beds in intensive care units. This included ordering 5,000 body bags and dozens of refrigerated trucks to help overwhelmed hospitals and morgues.
“There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we are still in the tunnel,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday, referring to the deployment of the vaccine. “And that means we are going through perhaps the most intense and urgent time since the start of this pandemic.”
Public health officials announced a record 379 deaths on Thursday. In the past five days, there have been more than 1,000 deaths and in just two days this week, more than 100,000 new confirmed cases, the Associated Press reported.
Regional stay-at-home orders are in effect for counties hardest hit by the pandemic, including the San Joaquin Valley, all of southern California, and the greater Sacramento and Bay areas.
Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley reported 0% intensive care capacity. Statewide, there are only 1,234 intensive care beds available, according to the latest figures released by public health officials.
“I’m not going to insult this: we’re crushed,” Dr. Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer at Los Angeles County Medical Center-University of Southern California, told reporters on Friday. “LA County is fast becoming the epicenter of the pandemic.”
California reported more than 41,000 new cases on Friday. The state has recorded more than 1.7 million confirmed cases of the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, more than any other state in the country, according to NBC News tally.
[ad_2]
Source link