Posted on January 17, 2022

Minnesota Backtracks on Racial Rationing of COVID Drugs

Aaron Sibarium, Washington Free Beacon, January 16, 2022

Minnesota will no longer use race to decide who is eligible for monoclonal antibodies, the state announced Wednesday, after a Washington Free Beacon story sparked widespread outrage about the guidelines.

The scoring system, used to determine who in the state qualifies for life-saving COVID treatments, no longer includes “BIPOC status” as a major driver of eligibility. {snip}

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Amid the outrage, Utah also announced it would be “reevaluating” who is eligible for monoclonal antibodies. {snip}

So far, only New York has stood its ground. A spokesperson for the state’s health department said there has been “no change to the guidance,” which makes “non-white race or Hispanic/Latino ethnicity”—but not poverty or geography—a criterion for eligibility.

The prioritization schemes have their roots in guidance from the Food and Drug Administration, which listed race as a risk factor for severe COVID-19. {snip}

Senator Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) on Tuesday called on the FDA to “immediately update its guidance.”

“Rationing life-saving drug treatments based on race and ethnicity is racist and un-American,” Rubio told acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock. “One’s race or ethnicity should not be the driving factor that decides whether or not you live.”