The risk profile for vaccines overlaps almost perfectly with the risk profile for COVID.
That is, the age groups most at-risk from the virus (ages 70+, with comorbidities) are also going to live the shortest, and so suffer from fewer side-effects as well as not reproducing.
So why aren't the rollouts focused on vaccinating the elderly first? By the time this is done the kinks will be ironed out.
There certainly was a large effort to reach the elderly first. For a host of reasons though the population was not vaccinated 100%. Issues with scheduling appointments, getting people to clinics, doubts over safety, etc. At some point the number of doses still coming in is increasing but the number of those for example 70+ began to dwindle and so it has to opened up so these doses can be put in people’s arms.
Well, in NZ the elderly come third, but that's because we're trying to keep it out, rather than contain an existing infection. (MIQ = "Managed Isolation/Quarantine")
> Group 1 – Border and MIQ workers and the people they live with
> Group 2 – Frontline workers and people living in high-risk settings
> Group 3 – People at higher risk of serious outcomes or illness
That is, the age groups most at-risk from the virus (ages 70+, with comorbidities) are also going to live the shortest, and so suffer from fewer side-effects as well as not reproducing.
So why aren't the rollouts focused on vaccinating the elderly first? By the time this is done the kinks will be ironed out.