The Government in the anticipation of vaccine for Covid-19 had taken a list of frontline workers such as doctors, nurses, ward boys, police personnel and other essential workers to be vaccinated first. As the vaccine arrives, a limited number of vials of vaccine is disbursed as per pervious list that was recorded. You, as the Health Officer, are put in charge of making sure all the previously enlisted people are vaccinated in your city. The instructions given by the Government for vaccination are as follows: Only the people who were enrolled as Frontline workers in the list can be given vaccine. The health officer should ensure no enrolled Frontline worker, who is available on the day of vaccination, is left behind for whatsoever reason. The vaccination process has to be finished on the same day as vaccine arrives due to limited shelf life of the vaccine and limited cold storage facilities. In case there is any additional vial of vaccine or any of the enlisted frontline warriors are unable to take the vaccine due to any important reason, it is left to discretion of the Health Officer to select ‘most urgent’ cases from general public to be vaccinated from the extra vials remaining. On the day, the vaccination process goes seamlessly as the Frontline workers are vaccinated. At the end of the process it is found out that there are 3 vials remaining. You being an enlisted Frontline worker are yet to be vaccinated and there are some urgent cases in front of you as follows: A youth from rural village has qualified for international athletic meet in Russia but the international sports association is allowing only vaccinated candidates to partake in the meet. It’s a once in lifetime opportunity for the youth, who with immense difficulty arranged the finances for travel in absence of a sponsor. He also has a decent chance of winning laurels for the country. The mayor of the city, who had enlisted as an essential worker got himself vaccinated. After coming to know of additional vials, demands one for his wife. He states that his wife is diabetic, has high blood pressure and hence qualifies to be an urgent case. You even get a call from the Municipal Commissioner, who is your superior, to consider mayor’s wife for vaccine. A person who is immuno-compromised, is in need of a lifesaving surgery. Though the hospital is not insistent on vaccine but doctors feel it will be better if the patient is vaccinated. This will prevent the risk of nosocomial infection of Covid-19 as number of cases are on rise in the city due to the new strain and the hospital in which the surgery is to take place also treats covid-19 patients. A family friend who is a senior doctor, posted and enrolled for vaccine in the neighboring city, which also happens to be your hometown, has come to your current city for his personal work. As he is still in your city and unable to go back, he contacts you for vial of vaccine. He says that, in case you allow him vial of vaccine, he will get his designated vial allotted in the neighboring city to a person of your choosing. He reminds that it will be better that your mother who is Asthmatic and has breathing issues, takes a vaccine in his place in your hometown and you give him a vial here in your city. The Vaccine has a limited shelf life and will expire in a few hours. Given the above scenarios, who will you allocate the vaccine vials? 10 marks

Mentor’s comment- Start by giving the context of the case study. In the body first highlight the facts of the … Continue reading The Government in the anticipation of vaccine for Covid-19 had taken a list of frontline workers such as doctors, nurses, ward boys, police personnel and other essential workers to be vaccinated first. As the vaccine arrives, a limited number of vials of vaccine is disbursed as per pervious list that was recorded. You, as the Health Officer, are put in charge of making sure all the previously enlisted people are vaccinated in your city. The instructions given by the Government for vaccination are as follows: Only the people who were enrolled as Frontline workers in the list can be given vaccine. The health officer should ensure no enrolled Frontline worker, who is available on the day of vaccination, is left behind for whatsoever reason. The vaccination process has to be finished on the same day as vaccine arrives due to limited shelf life of the vaccine and limited cold storage facilities. In case there is any additional vial of vaccine or any of the enlisted frontline warriors are unable to take the vaccine due to any important reason, it is left to discretion of the Health Officer to select ‘most urgent’ cases from general public to be vaccinated from the extra vials remaining. On the day, the vaccination process goes seamlessly as the Frontline workers are vaccinated. At the end of the process it is found out that there are 3 vials remaining. You being an enlisted Frontline worker are yet to be vaccinated and there are some urgent cases in front of you as follows: A youth from rural village has qualified for international athletic meet in Russia but the international sports association is allowing only vaccinated candidates to partake in the meet. It’s a once in lifetime opportunity for the youth, who with immense difficulty arranged the finances for travel in absence of a sponsor. He also has a decent chance of winning laurels for the country. The mayor of the city, who had enlisted as an essential worker got himself vaccinated. After coming to know of additional vials, demands one for his wife. He states that his wife is diabetic, has high blood pressure and hence qualifies to be an urgent case. You even get a call from the Municipal Commissioner, who is your superior, to consider mayor’s wife for vaccine. A person who is immuno-compromised, is in need of a lifesaving surgery. Though the hospital is not insistent on vaccine but doctors feel it will be better if the patient is vaccinated. This will prevent the risk of nosocomial infection of Covid-19 as number of cases are on rise in the city due to the new strain and the hospital in which the surgery is to take place also treats covid-19 patients. A family friend who is a senior doctor, posted and enrolled for vaccine in the neighboring city, which also happens to be your hometown, has come to your current city for his personal work. As he is still in your city and unable to go back, he contacts you for vial of vaccine. He says that, in case you allow him vial of vaccine, he will get his designated vial allotted in the neighboring city to a person of your choosing. He reminds that it will be better that your mother who is Asthmatic and has breathing issues, takes a vaccine in his place in your hometown and you give him a vial here in your city. The Vaccine has a limited shelf life and will expire in a few hours. Given the above scenarios, who will you allocate the vaccine vials? 10 marks