Minnesota Backtracks on Racial Rationing of COVID Drugs
- Post AuthorBy Henry Wolff
- Post DateMon Jan 17 2022
Minnesota will no longer use race to decide who is eligible for monoclonal antibodies, the state announced Wednesday, after a Washington Free Beacon story sparked widespread outrage about the guidelines.
The scoring system, used to determine who in the state qualifies for life-saving COVID treatments, no longer includes “BIPOC status” as a major driver of eligibility. {snip}
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Amid the outrage, Utah also announced it would be “reevaluating” who is eligible for monoclonal antibodies. {snip}
So far, only New York has stood its ground. A spokesperson for the state’s health department said there has been “no change to the guidance,” which makes “non-white race or Hispanic/Latino ethnicity”—but not poverty or geography—a criterion for eligibility.
The prioritization schemes have their roots in guidance from the Food and Drug Administration, which listed race as a risk factor for severe COVID-19. {snip}
Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) on Tuesday called on the FDA to “immediately update its guidance.”
“Rationing life-saving drug treatments based on race and ethnicity is racist and un-American,” Rubio told acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock. “One’s race or ethnicity should not be the driving factor that decides whether or not you live.”
- Post TagsAnti-White Discrimination, Race and Health