[Skip to Content]
Outline
Claim CME
PDF
Health Disparities

Is It Lawful and Ethical to Prioritize Racial Minorities for COVID-19 Vaccines?

Educational Objective
To identify the key insights or developments described in this article
1 Credit CME
JAMA
Published Online: October 14, 2020
Viewpoint
Harald Schmidt, PhD1;
Lawrence O. Gostin, JD2;
Michelle A. Williams, ScD3
Author Affiliations
  • 1Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
  • 2O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
  • 3Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts
Read article on JAMA Network

MOC/CME Information

editorial comment icon
Editorial
Comment
 related articles icon
Related
Articles
 author interview icon
Interviews
 multimedia icon
Multimedia
Conversations with Dr Bauchner (31:20)
Prioritizing Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations for Coronavirus Vaccination
Video (36:49)
Prioritizing Minorities for Coronavirus Vaccination
Read Article Claim CME

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disproportionately affected racial minorities in the United States resulting in higher rates of infection, hospitalization, and death. With a limited supply after the initial approval of a safe and effective vaccine, difficult legal and ethical choices will have to be made on priority access for individuals.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has recommended prioritization of racial minorities who are “worse off” socioeconomically and epidemiologically.1 The World Health Organization (WHO) similarly cautioned that “colorblind” allocation frameworks could perpetuate or exacerbate existing injustices. Both NASEM and WHO urge policy makers to allocate vaccines in ways that reduce unjust health disparities.2 The ethics and legality of race-based policies in the United States have been fraught with controversy.3 This Viewpoint considers how COVID-19 vaccine priority allocations could be implemented ethically and legally.

Sign in to take quiz and track your certificates

Buy This Activity

JN Learning™ is the home for CME and MOC from the JAMA Network. Search by specialty or US state and earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ from articles, audio, Clinical Challenges and more. Learn more about CME/MOC

Related Articles

  1. The Equitable Distribution of COVID-19 Therapeutics and Vaccines

  2. Planning for a COVID-19 Vaccination Program

  3. Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV)

  4. Anthony Fauci, MD, on COVID-19 Vaccines, Schools, and Larry Kramer

  5. Safeguards Needed for Development of COVID-19 Vaccines

  6. Unwavering Regulatory Safeguards for COVID-19 Vaccines

  7. Researchers Strive to Recruit Hard-Hit Minorities Into COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

  8. Regulatory Decision-making on COVID-19 Vaccines During a Public Health Emergency

  9. Fairly Prioritizing Groups for Access to COVID-19 Vaccines

  10. Experts Discuss COVID-19: Vaccine Allocation, Placebo Groups, and More
    1.00 CME

  11. A 7-Point Action Agenda to End the COVID-19 Pandemic for President-elect Biden
    1.00 CME

  12. Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines—Ethical and Legal Considerations
    1.00 CME

  13. Vaccine Distribution—Equity Left Behind?

See More

Related Multimedia

  1. Prioritizing Minorities for Coronavirus Vaccination
    0.50 CME

  2. Prioritizing Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations for Coronavirus Vaccination
    0.50 CME

CME Disclosure Statement: Unless noted, all individuals in control of content reported no relevant financial relationships. If applicable, all relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.

See More About

Health Disparities Public Health Health Policy Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Ethics
Article Information

Corresponding Author: Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law, Georgetown University, 600 New Jersey Ave NW, McDonough 568, Washington, DC 20001 (gostin@georgetown.edu).

Published Online: October 14, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.20571

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

References
1.
Gayle  H , Foege  W , Brown  L , Kahn  B , eds. A Framework for Equitable Allocation of Vaccine for the Novel Coronavirus. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; August 2020. Accessed September 21, 2020. https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/a-framework-for-equitable-allocation-of-vaccine-for-the-novel-coronavirus
2.
World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (WHO/SAGE). Values framework for the allocation and prioritization of COVID-19 vaccination. September 14, 2020. Accessed September 14, 2020. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/334299/WHO-2019-nCoV-SAGE_Framework-Allocation_and_prioritization-2020.1-eng.pdf?ua=1
3.
Persad  G , Peek  ME , Emanuel  EJ .  Fairly prioritizing groups for access to COVID-19 vaccines.   JAMA. Published online September 10, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.18513PubMedGoogle Scholar
4.
APM Research Lab Staff. The color of coronavirus: COVID-19 deaths by race and ethnicity in the US. Published September 16, 2020. Accessed September 29, 2020. https://www.apmresearchlab.org/covid/deaths-by-race#age
5.
Schmidt  H .  Vaccine rationing and the urgency of social justice in the COVID-19 response.   Hastings Cent Rep. 2020;50(3):46-49. doi:10.1002/hast.1113 PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
6.
Covid-19 vaccination program interim playbook for jurisdiction operations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. September 16, 2020. Accessed September 16, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-managers/downloads/COVID-19-Vaccination-Program-Interim_Playbook.pdf
7.
Persad  G. Allocating medicine to address disparities. SSRN. Posted September 28, 2020. Last revised October 5, 2020. Accessed October 5, 2020. http://ssrn.com/abstract=3699769
8.
Kind  AJH , Buckingham  WR .  Making neighborhood-disadvantage metrics accessible—the Neighorhood Atlas.   N Engl J Med. 2018;378(26):2456-2458. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1802313 PubMedGoogle ScholarCrossref
AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

  • 1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
  • 1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
  • 1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
  • 1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
  • 1.00 credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment requirements] of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.

Close
Want full access to the AMA Ed Hub?
Become an AMA member now
After you sign up for AMA Membership, make sure you sign in or create a Physician account with the AMA in order to access all learning activities on the AMA Ed Hub
Buy this activity
Close
Want full access to the AMA Ed Hub?
Become an AMA member now
After you sign up for AMA Membership, make sure you sign in or create a Physician account with the AMA in order to access all learning activities on the AMA Ed Hub
Buy this activity
Close
With a personal account, you can:
  • Access free activities and track your credits
  • Personalize content alerts
  • Customize your interests
  • Fully personalize your learning experience
Education Center Collection Sign In Modal Right
Close

Name Your Search

Save Search
With a personal account, you can:
  • Access free activities and track your credits
  • Personalize content alerts
  • Customize your interests
  • Fully personalize your learning experience
Close
Close

Lookup An Activity

or

My Saved Searches

You currently have no searches saved.

Close

My Saved Courses

You currently have no courses saved.

Close
Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to use our site, or clicking "Continue," you are agreeing to our Cookie Policy | Continue