RI Ignores Feds on Vaccinating Seniors

In an article published in ProJo on Jan 13th entitled “R.I. bucks U.S. on staging of vaccinations” it states that the federal government told states to open COVID vaccinations to ALL people 65 and older but that RI doesn’t plan to comply.

Many other states have already started to vaccinate seniors and some such as Florida started in December. Currently, more than half of Florida’s vaccines have been administered to seniors.

The Director OF RIDOH announced that we as a state are receiving one of the highest numbers of dosages per 100,000 population. Over 70,000 dosages have been administered including to the general public in hard hit communities.

According to the RI COVID Fatality Data compiled by RIDOH the percentage of COVID deaths for those under the age of 30 is 0% and under the age of 60 is 6% of all fatalities in RI. Nationally RI has the fourth highest rate in the country in fatalities (per 100,000). Florida is twenty fifth.

On the same day this article was published, 23 Rhode Islander’s (likely all seniors) were reported to have died from COVID (on the previous day). So the question is, do we want to save lives in Rhode Island. If so, we need to start vaccinating all seniors.

John DiTomasso, Greenville RI.