One of the most irritating things to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is the repeated wish from epidemiological, scientific, and legal circles for a uniform, federal policy regarding vaccination distribution. If only such a policy were around, we are told, the problems of getting shots in arms would magically vanish. But why should this be so? Why should we not inspect the records of some of the allegedly virtuous blue states — like, say, New York, whose sclerotic vaccination policy led to many doses thrown away? Andrew Cuomo's all-stick, no-carrot approach led to this, and his "fix" may still result in wasted doses. So in California. Whether you believe Govex or the CDC (data updated mostly daily, so this may change by the time you read this), California is near the bottom of getting shots into arms on a population-adjusted basis. And then there was the whole fiasco of the CDC being forced to walk back its unscientific early trial balloons that would have prioritized people at least partly on race. Surely, this didn't help to protect the elderly, the group most at risk.
Why should we believe a larger, more hidebound entity would do a better job at this? The reason this belief gets so much traction is pretty simple: because the people making this assertion believe it would be themselves (or like-minded compatriots) running the show. The same thing fuels the endless demand for socialism, and is just as wrong. Instead, we need to look at places that are actually getting things done — like, improbably, West Virginia, which state eschewed the federal agreement with CVS and Walgreens, instead favoring local pharmacies with existing arrangements with long-term care facilities. This should be obvious based on outcomes alone, but much that should be obvious never is.
No comments:
Post a Comment