As with vaccines, equity becomes an issue with COVID-19 medicines
Under pressure from a virus that has killed close to 900,000 Americans, researchers have developed a clutch of lifesaving treatments that reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 by as much as 89%. But there aren't nearly enough of the new drugs to go around. And if recent pandemic history is any guide, the patients who are getting them are likely whiter, richer and healthier than the ones who aren't.
States, counties and health care systems are struggling to mete out their limited supplies without making existing disparities worse. Some are trying to prevent this by taking the race and ethnicity of patients into account — and courting controversy in the process. The Biden administration has offered little guidance.
Just over a year ago, the rollout of vaccines raised similar concerns: that high demand and
