Should prisoners receive the covid vaccine before members of the general public?

Ethics in nursing

Afua, Shakirat, Stephanie jones, priscilla Minenger, blessing

introduction
The dilemma presented is – prisoners have been tasked with getting COVID vaccines before the elderly
What is COVID and how has it affected America and Americans?
How has COVID shifted the focus of healthcare?
What supports this as a viable option?
What reasons challenge prisoners receiving COVID vaccines before the elderly as fair option?
What would be an alternative?

What is covid
Coronavirus is (COVID-19) is an infectious disease, which is caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.
Many infected will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness except the elderly
Who have serious underlying conditions
Covid 19  virus spread through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose of an infected person.
More than 1.2 million residents and employees have been infecte and more than 152,000 have died. (CDC 2020)

Impact coronavirus has on americans and healthcare systems
Daily wage workers struggling to make ends meet, which has put a strain om low income family.
High rates of mental health issue such as depression, anxiety, stress, substance use and suicide ideation.(American Journal of Nursing 2020)
Respirators, PPE, and oxygen has become a challenge. 
Health care workers are being affected due to shortage and inadequate protection which has caused shortage of staffing.

REFERENCES
World Health Organisation.Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak situation. 2020. cited 2020 May 4. Available from: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 .
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Steps healthcare facilities can take now to prepare for COVID-19. 2020. [cited d2020 Apr 20] Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
Mental Health Effects Of COVID-19, AJN,  American Journal of Nursing: November 2020- Volume 120-Issue 11-p15 doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.00000721880.79285.04

Affirmative – Prisoners should get covid vaccines before the elderly population
 Coronavirus vaccine for prisoner 
*According to Marshall Project, 377,497 prisoners had tested positive for coronavirus in the US dated February 9th. 
*Just like front-line workers, prison and jail populations are among the most vulnerable to COVID. And they put surrounding communities at risk.
*Correction settings have become the epicenter of Coronavirus outbreaks across the globe. 
*Some of the worst outbreaks in the US have been in prisons. 
*1 in 5 prisoners in the US has tested positive for the coronavirus, a rate more than four times as high as the general population.
*Principle of Justice (Ethical Principle)
 The principle of justice states that there should be an element of fairness in all medical decisions,   equal distribution of scare resources and new treatments.  

Affirmative – Prisoners should get covid vaccines before the elderly population
Reasons why Coronavirus vaccine should be prioritized for Prisoners in the US
*Prisoners are disproportionately affected by poor social determinants of health leading to a higher prevalence of chronic disease such as hypertension and diabetes. This results in increased risk for severe coronavirus associated disease and mortality. 
*In New York city, inmates sleep 40 people to a room making social distancing an impossible form of protection.
*Inadequate ventilation and poor sanitations in prisons.
*Since the pandemic started, 2,399 inmates have died from coronavirus in the US
*Data has shown that prisoners are among the population most vulnerable to be infected with and die from coronavirus .
*Prisoners are high risk setting for the transmission of contagious disease with considerable challenges in managing outbreaks in the prison space. 

Should Prisoners Get Vaccinated before the elderly and others in the Vulnerable Group?

Long Term Care vs. Prisons
U.S., they reportedly make up 40% of deaths from the virus. More than 100,000 residents of long-term care facilities have died of the virus so far.
Prisons have reportedly suffered many virus outbreaks as well, although the data at hand do not show as high of a fatality rate among this population.
Prisoners are young or middle-aged and less likely to die from the virus . Hadro (2020).

Long Term Care vs. Prison (cont.)
CDC recommended that “phase 1A” of vaccine distribution—listing the populations among the very first to receive it—should include health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities. Hadro (2020).
According to the CDC, people ages 65-74 have COVID-19 death rates that are 90 times higher than 18-29-year-olds; while those 75-84 years old are 220 times more likely to die from the virus than 18–29-year-olds. Hadro (2020).

conclusion

Reference
Hadro, M. (2020, December 3). Should prisoners be first, or last in line for COVID vaccine? Catholic News Agency. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/should-prisoners-be-first-or-last-in-line-for-covid-vaccine-61906