From extreme poverty to vulnerability in COVID‐19 vaccine priority

Abstract

In his recent article, Yabar argues that people in extreme poverty should be prioritized in the distribution of SARS-CoV2 vaccines because they are the most vulnerable group in the pandemic. Though his text focuses on Peru, its relevance extends to other Latin American and developing countries. While his interesting proposal offers the worthy pursuit of addressing social injustice in vaccination programs, Yabar´s text lacks clarification of the relevant idea of "vulnerability", without which the central rationale for prioritizing people living in extreme poverty is not adequately appreciated. I offer two definitions of vulnerability to argue that prioritizing the poorest for intrinsic reasons may lead to not saving as many lives as possible and is therefore not acceptable.