New York City har i sine nye retningslinjer for Covid-19 pasienter sett på hudfarge, ikke helsetilstand. Dette er et brudd på føderale lover, men justisdepartementet reagerer ikke.

New York City has issued its latest guidance for the distribution of monoclonal antibodies (and other COVID-19 therapeutics) for the treatment of COVID-19. And it looks to your color, not your condition.

For the uninitiated, monoclonal antibodies are recommended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and have been authorized by the FDA, for the treatment of COVID-19.

According to the latest New York City guidelines, monoclonal antibodies are authorized as COVID-19 treatment “for people who have a medical condition or other factors that increase their risk for severe illness.”

Under definisjonen av «andre faktorer» skriver byens myndigheter at man skal ta hensyn til rase og etnisitet.

“Consider race and ethnicity when assessing individual risk, as longstanding systemic health and social inequities may contribute to an increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19.”

Dette praktiseres allerede: Din hudfarge avgjør om du får nødvendig helsehjelp.

The race-based approach in treatment has already begun to have real-world consequences. One Staten Island doctor said he filled two prescriptions for Paxlovid this week and was asked by the pharmacist to disclose the race of his patients before the treatment was authorized.

“In my 30 years of being a physician I have never been asked that question when I have prescribed any treatment,” said the doctor, who requested anonymity. “The mere fact of having to ask this question is a slippery slope.”

Det er uklart om disse retningslinjene enn så lenge har ført til at hvite pasienter har gått glipp av nødvendige helsetjenester. Men man må uansett stille spørsmålet: Hva gjør slike rasebaserte reguleringer i et offentlig regelverk?

Medisinske eksperter sier ifølge New York Post at det er greit å prioritere pasienter basert på risiko, men å bruke rase som en faktor blir helt feil, siden rase ikke er en biologisk faktor.

“I have not seen [race] as one of the risk factors for severe disease and death,” Martin Kulldorff, a Harvard epidemiologist and professor, told The Post.

“The reason that a lot of African Americans have died in New York — which is true — is because the rich people and more affluent were working from home while the working class were exposed.”

Men myndighetene ser annerledes på det, og mener at hispanics og ikke-hvite automatisk utsettes for en større helsemessig risiko.

In a public notice, the state Department of Health said last week that “Non-white race or Hispanic/Latino ethnicity should be considered a risk factor” — putting it in a class with other COVID risk factors like age and obesity.

Michael Lanza fra byens helsemyndigheter peker på strukturell rasisme og mangel på investeringer i byens minoritetsområder.

«Fellesskap og dugnad» bygges neppe på denne måten.

New York Post
Technofog