NY Dept of Health Will Prioritize Non-White People in Distribution of Scarce COVID-19 Treatments

If you are white, live in the state of New York, and come down with COVID-19 you will be low on the priority list for treatment because of the color of your skin.

The New York Department of Health released a memo Monday outlining authorized anti-viral treatments, the “severe shortage” of said treatments and prioritization guidelines that actually state white people are not on the priority list due to “longstanding systemic health and social inequities.”

Pfizer and Merck have both received Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA for their anti-viral COVID-19 oral therapies but they are both in very short supply.

Pfizer’s Paxlovid is the preferred treatment for the Omnicron variant. The memo outlines the criteria for receipt of the oral antiviral treatment.

You must be 12 years or older, weigh at least 88 pounds.

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You must test positive for SARS-CoV-2 on a nucleic acid amplification test or antigen test. However, if you used an FDA-authorized home-test kit it can be validated through video or photo. If you are unable to provide the validation, your “attestation” is enough.

You must have mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.

You cannot be hospitalized due to severe or critical COVID-19.

You are able to start treatment within 5 days from your first symptom.

You have a medical condition or other factors that increase your risk for severe illness.

The color of your skin is taken into consideration as a risk factor.

This is no joke. The memo actually states: “Non-white race or Hispanic/Latino ethnicity should be considered a risk factor, as longstanding systemic health and social inequities have contributed to an increased risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19.”

One health official told Fox News “systemic poverty” is the culprit for increased risk for COVID-19.

In a statement to Fox News, Erin Silk, spokesperson for the New York Department of Health, said the state’s “prioritization guidance comes directly from the CDC.” She further claimed that neither “race nor ethnicity would disqualify an individual from receiving treatment.”

That is not exactly how the memo reads.

“Systemic poverty, which has clearly proven to be a risk factor in populations in New York State and nationwide, is added to the algorithm of prioritization similar to all other risk factors. It is merely mentioned as a factor that increases risk,” she wrote.

Apparently in New York there are only non-white people suffering from “systemic poverty.”

The memo came on the heals of Governor Kathy Hochul declaring racism a “public health crisis” in New York, signing legislation to combat the “crisis.”

“For far too long, communities of color in New York have been held back by systemic racism and inequitable treatment,” Hochul said in a statement last week. “I am proud to sign legislation that addresses this crisis head-on, addressing racism, expanding equity, and improving access for all.”

It is clear that access in New York is for all except white people.