translated from Spanish: Experts warn why the prioritization of chronically ill patients should have been maintained in the vaccination schedule

Although everything was ready for people with a base disease to begin their inoculation process on February 22, President Sebastián Piñera announced that only on March 8, people with chronic diseases and comorability will be able to start getting vaccinated, despite being risk groups.
This decision was taken after the Government decided to resume face-to-face classes in the educational precincts, a measure that was not well received by the College of Teachers.
In this line, chronically ill people didn’t take the news well. Francisco Vidangossy, executive director of the Cancervida Foundation, said that there are patients who are already getting vaccinated but that “it is not explained because they say one thing and then change it. If one saw from a health point of view, the timetable should have been maintained and it is strange that another group is postponed to enter that are the teachers with a political sense that they will return to class.”
Victor Hugo Robles, an activist for the rights of people with HIV, also expressed concern about this delay by stating that it is bitter and unfair news for people with chronic diseases and that this postponement is for an “economic and political” reason.
From the Medical College, President Izkia Siches noted that the government’s new timetable and the postponement of this group are striking. “In our view, prioritization should initially look at the highest-risk groups, they are over 60 and the chronically ill.”
In addition, it indicated that they included the integration of critical staff and education workers, but “always without delaying priority groups”. In this line, he stated that the different local teams could follow the prioritization established by the Health Mystery so as not to incorporate new groups that meant putting off the most vulnerable and most at-risk population.
The opinion of the experts
The doctor specializing in public health and epidemiologist of the Catholic University, Jaime Cerda, said that in general there has been a great work of organization, however, chronically ill are many and have a higher risk, so the priority should start for them.
In addition, he stated that the issue of return to school is super important but that it seemed to him that this requires more than inoculated teachers “so the most accurate decision is to immunize the chronically ill as soon as possible.” For its part, he emphasized that the pathologies of chronic diseases are very different, but that vaccines are safe and effective, so you have to be calm with them and learn about their functionality in each group.
Dr. Carolina Herrera, a respiratory disease specialist, said vaccination for chronically ill can be the difference between life and death, alluding to the high probability of some needing mechanical ventilation and greater care for their basic condition. Despite the above, he believes that “we have had vaccines much earlier than we originally thought, so they should not have drastic changes in arrears.”
Despite the various criticisms that have existed due to this decision, the calendar is currently maintained with the prioritization of older adults and teachers by February. During March, in addition to chronically ill and people with comorability, the second dose will begin for people already vaccinated.

Original source in Spanish