Wealthy patients scramble for COVID-19 vaccine

California Governor Gavin Newsom holds up a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. CREDIT:AP.

The COVID-19 vaccine is here - and so are the wealthy people who want it first. California's stern messaging about serving the neediest first hasn't stopped the rich from trying to leap ahead of teachers, farmworkers and firefighters. Watchdogs have been warning that the COVID-19 vaccine's initial scarcity could create a thriving black market, particularly if well-connected people in the healthcare industry skim off a few doses here and there for friends, family or the highest bidder. But getting earlier access to the shot may not even require much backroom deal-making. Some wealthy patients may get the shots sooner than the average person because they're members of exclusive healthcare groups that offer the kind of high-quality, primary care most Americans can't afford…. https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/wealthy-patients-scramble-for-covid-19-vaccine-if-i-donate-25000-would-that-help-me-20201219-p56oxz.html