Man Can’t Get Heart Transplant Because He’s Not Vaccinated Against Covid | Hacker News Reader

Man Can’t Get Heart Transplant Because He’s Not Vaccinated Against Covid

boston.cbslocal.com

7 pointsdezmou9 comments

Reasoning:

“Post any transplant, kidney, heart whatever, your immune system is shut off,” Caplan said. “The flu could kill you, a cold could kill you, COVID could kill you. The organs are scarce, we are not going to distribute them to someone who has a poor chance of living when others who are vaccinated have a better chance post-surgery of surviving.”

I don't quite understand this reasoning. If the transplant is going to shut off the patient's immune system anyway, what's the point of the vaccine given that they are going to undo it shortly afterwards? There must be some nuance that I am missing.

Shouldn't give liver transplants to alcoholics, or heart transplants to people who eat fast food, or any medical care to smokers.

That's sort of how it works.

They sort the people who need a new liver by chance of surviving the operation, expected years to live, etc. Some alcoholic who's already worn out one liver won't score very high on that, so there'll be other people who rank higher. And then everyone waits. If that area then has a few weekends with many horrible traffic accidents, even the alcoholic might get a liver. But generally there are too few healthy organs and too many people waiting for them, and that alcoholic waits in vain.

... I mean, they _don't_ give liver transplants to alcoholics, generally. Lifestyle is a big factor in most places in figuring out who gets a transplant.

> or any medical care to smokers.

Normal medical care generally works on a completely different heuristic. If there's one ICU bed, and a car crash victim, a smoker, and an unvaccinated covid case needing one, then whoever out of the three has the greatest need and will benefit most gets the bed (ie. _blame_ doesn't come into it).

For transplants, they look at possibility of long-term success, and lifestyle problems _are_ a factor there.

Uhhh, the reasoning is such a slippery slope and will end up sowing more division among us. I wouldn't be mad at any unvaccinated person who would withdraw themselves as an organ donor due to this. Can't get, won't give. Fair play.

We live in such broken times, I hope we can bounce back from this, but I only see more and more fragmentation.

> It’s kind of against his basic principles; he doesn’t believe in it.

What doesn't he believe in exactly? Vaccination is a no go, but cutting his chest open, removing his heart, and shoving someone else's heart in there is a non-issue?

that man said it best "it's his body it's his choice" as stan lee would say 'nuff said. I'd probably have to agree with the doctor's logic though.

Agreed. It is his body and his choice. But the new heart is NOT his (yet). Give a scarce resource to someone most likely to make productive use of it.

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