"Leaders eat last"

Doesn't it seem like we've turned the corner?  The FDA has now approved the second SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for emergency use.  Many health care workers around the country have already received the first dose of one of these vaccines.  I have seen a number of pictures posted on social media of these same health care workers smiling for the first time in a long time after receiving their vaccine.  It does seem like better days are ahead, even if the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging out of control in the U.S.A. and several other countries around the world.

Many hospitals have prioritized those health care workers who are at the highest risk of COVID-19, either because of their specific job requirements or due to the presence of certain medical risk factors.  Other hospitals have not done as well.  For example, I've heard reports of at least one hospital that either forgot or chose to deprioritize the medical residents working there.  Other hospitals have used a lottery system to prioritize which individuals will receive the vaccination first.  These are not simple, easy decisions, and given all of the emotions around this issue, hospitals will not get it perfectly right.  

I can't wait to receive my vaccine.  As a pediatric critical care physician, I was placed in one of the highest priority groups at my own hospital.  I was working in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) just two weeks ago and took care of a number of children with COVID-19.  But here's the thing - I'm not going to be working in the PICU again until April.  I will be working on the hospital wards after the first of the year, but I should be able to protect myself with the infection prevention and control measures our hospital has in place.  There are a number of colleagues who deserve to be vaccinated before me, so I am going to wait my turn a little longer.

It's hard to wait.  But I've always believed in the concept described in Simon Sinek's book, "Leaders Eat Last".  As Sinek writes, "Great leaders sacrifice their own comfort–even their own survival–for the good of those in their care."  It's a concept well-known in the United States military.  The team matters more than the leader.

For now, I will continue to wear my mask everywhere (including when I run outside, by the way), wash my hands frequently, and socially distance to protect myself, my family, and the other individuals who I work with at the hospital.  When the time is right, I will be ready, willing, and eager to receive the vaccine.  For now though, I'm going to wait my turn.