at risk of being flamed

[sheslittlebutfierce]

Can someone please explain why care home residents are a priority for vaccinations?
In the main they are not the people out an about in the community spreading this vile thing around. Would there be no mileage in vaccinating the workforce earlier?

Because they make up a large percentage of the deaths. They also need to be protected so they can have family visits, it’s pretty inhumane for them to not be allowed visits for a year.

Because they are the ones dying.

Because they are at the most risk of complications/needing an ICU bed/dying if they catch it?

Am I missing something, or is that not painfully fucking obvious?

They are more likely to need hospital beds.

Not only dying but also requiring nhs care and beds and ventilators. This isn’t a comparison of people and what you may see as their worth - this is trying to save the nhs so it can treat Covid and everything else. So that each and everyone of us has healthcare ! Care home residents and others who have vulnérabilités need full Earl protection to achieve that. Many who are young e and it out and about working are very very much less likely to add significantly to the nhs problem even if they get it.

Because once it gets into a care home the residents are like sitting ducks and end up in hospital and dead.

The vaccine is designed to minimise your risk of becoming very ill. It may have an impact on spread, but we don't know that yet.

@thedevilinablackdress

The vaccine is designed to minimise your risk of becoming very ill. It may have an impact on spread, but we don't know that yet.

yes.

Care home residents comprised just over 1 in 3 deaths, so based on potentially saving maximum number of lives with limited supply: mobile.twitter.com/fact_covid/status/1345316288860663808

www.covid-arg.com/post/vaccine-priorities

I do understand your point. It’s about doing the right thing for these elderly people. They tend to get more unwell, more likely to need more NHS care, more likely to die. A life is a life.
I had this conversation the other day with a friend, that maybe being brutal, we need to vaccinate the ones working and spending. No government would ever do this because it is cut throat even if there is some logic to it. I am not claiming this is the right thing, we just were discussing the options.

The whole point of lockdowns and restrictions to is reduce spread so that ICU beds aren't full to capacity and the NHS doesn't become overwhelmed. Care home residents are these people, the ones who will end up in ICU, therefore naturally prioritised for the vaccine.

Because they don't know if the vaccines stop transmission so if they don't even if the staff are vaccinated the care home residents wouldn't be protected.
Also I know a lot of residents are elderly but not all, my mum is in one and she is in her 60s.

I think the carers in the care homes should get it first as they are more likely to give to the residents. Which is what happened to my own elderly dad in a care home.
However, I'm not a scientist and they must have their reasons for doing it this way around.

Bluntly, it's more bang for your buck. Start with the most vulnerable, most likely to need IC and ventilation. There are less of these people compared to general population, it won't take long to get them vaccinated. It will take months to vaccinate the younger, fitter working population, so start where it will be the most effective.

@sadpapercourtesan

Because they are at the most risk of complications/needing an ICU bed/dying if they catch it?

Am I missing something, or is that not painfully fucking obvious?

No need to be abusive, it's a reasonable question, although it has been asked and answered a few times on here, it would be good if posters would use the search function.

They are the ones that would need more intense treatment. Obviously there are exceptions but if you vaccinate the elderly in care homes first that would take some strain off. Plus the obvious one is they are vulnerable and deserve the same amount of protection as anyone else.

To clarify I never said anyone's life was more worthy than anyone else's and I understand the care home residents are the most likely to need hospitalisation.

I am not even asking for myself but I am asked this frequently

It was spelled out at the time the vaccine was approved for use. Whitty, Van Tam et al said that the first priority would to vaccinate those who are at most risk of dying if they get the virus. Older people, particularly where they live together as in care homes, are particularly vulnerable to the infection. Apart from being the kind and decent thing to do - to protect the most vulnerable - it will have the effect of taking up fewer hospital beds that will then be available for those lower down the priority list who do need to bein hospital.

Because the staff are out and about and can bring it in to them, and they are very high risk of serious complications and needing hospital treatment.

To answer a pp, carers in care homes are also in the priority group and are being done now.

This paper explains it well. To prevent one death you would have to vaccinate 47,000 under 50 year olds or 20 care home residents. Similar figures will apply to hospital/ICU beds

c8930375-0dbb-4319-ae2f-025f70d4b441.filesusr.com/ugd/ab45f7_a40832c6069842e6af33fcf2b06611bf.pdf

Link is “How logical is the UK’s vaccine priority ordering?” By Yifei Gong and Stuart McDonald, COVID-19 Actuaries Response Group

The older generation use our hospitals more frequently than younger ones so its helpful if they then don't catch covid whilst they are there for other ailments too

We don’t yet know if the vaccine stops transmission. The data is that it reduces hospitalisation. No point therefore giving it to people unlikely to be hospitalised in the first place . I believe this is why healthcare staff were downgraded in priority and why there is no benefit in vaccinating low risk teachers as it won’t reduce spread in schools

It cant be about who is in the ICU as if you believe the NHS workers on here the ICUs are all full of people in their 30s, 40s and 50s not the elderly which is why we need to save the NHS.

Therefore, if it is about saving the NHS it makes sense to vaccinate the middle aged people. However if it is to slow the number of folk dying, and given those are primarily the elderly, then it makes sense to vaccinate them first.

sheslittle no you didn’t but often this si the underlying thought. Sometimes spoken. It took me a little while for the penny to properly drop about what ‘protecting the nhs’ really means, what that really means we need to do - all of us, and how we need to prioritise our population.
Those taking risks and sound stupid reckless things and saying ‘but I’ll be ok’ haven’t yet understood anything about transmission and nhs burden and may never and may simply not wish to or be capable of doing so.