Tokyo Olympics Q&A: Should athletes be priority for vaccine?

They are the performers and without them there is no show, so yes give them priority, if they refuse then no entry!

Q: There are 3 main parts of all Olympics: atheletes and events, the host country, and the audiance. Two are being discussed. But what are the plans for the Olympic audiance, for whom tickets have already been sold and would be comprised of hundreds of thousands of people who are currently banned from entry in Japan?

Next question, please.

What vaccine?! It could still be many years away.

There is an order for priorities. It is pretty clear who needs the vaccine first - medical professionals and first respondents. Next, at risk people with age or other health risks. Then work down the list by jobs that require lots of interaction with random people.

If the vaccine is only proven effective for 2-3 months, then it seems athletes would need to get it in early June. By that time, plenty of other people and testing and millions of doses should be available for anyone of higher priority.

There may be some Olympic athletes who aren't able to be vaccinated for health reasons. Should they be penalized?

Vaccine priority should be key workers, the elderly and the vulnerable.

Should athletes be priority for vaccine?

What a stupid question!

Of course NOT!

It's all going to end in tears.

No they shouldn't because the olympics ought to be canceled anyway.

More to the point is whether the Japanese Olympics should be a priority...

Only if they willingly accept it.

They should not be forced to take it against their right to choose not to take it.

Exactly the same as every other vaccine that is necessary right now, athletes that need vaccination to visit certain countries always have the option to accept a safe and effective health measure or abstain from traveling because it would bring unnecessary risks to themselves and others. There is no reason to think this will change for another vaccine.

What vaccine?! It could still be many years away.

That is not realistic, there are several vaccine candidates that have demonstrated being safe and effective enough to be given to thousands of people in phase III clinical trials, thinking that all of those will fail (and also the other hundred plus a step behind) is not rational.

There may be some Olympic athletes who aren't able to be vaccinated for health reasons. Should they be penalized?

There is no way to predict the exact conditions by the time the olympics are supposed to be held but as a general rule yes. Currently athletes need to fulfill all the requirements for international travel and that include health related. To visit certain countries they need to be vaccinated against diseases like yellow fever or rabies. If they cannot be vaccinated there may be options, but in some cases that will not be possible and they will have to skip that competition.

Now entertainment people became the priority over normal citizen??. this nation is controlled by crazy people. stop completely these useless games and refund the money!

My stupid friend: 'Should athle...'

Me: 'Stop right there! No. Hell no. Nope.'

No, Olympic Athletes should not be a priority to get the vaccine.

Medical staff and risk groups should.

How is this even a discussion?

Which is worse?

Forcing Olympics on people - 1

Forcing vaccines on athletes - 2

Are they both evil?

I was going to comment with, "Ummm... No." But many other posts have put it much more eloquent than I would have.

...of course, top athletes can’t wait to get vaccinated with an untested vaccine to be able to participate in the Olympics...

Sure, let them be the guinea pigs. See if I care.

That is not realistic, there are several vaccine candidates that have demonstrated being safe and effective enough to be given to thousands of people in phase III clinical trials, thinking that all of those will fail (and also the other hundred plus a step behind) is not rational.

As claimed by the vaccine manufacturer or the country of production, until they are confirmed safe by trusted independent bodies. It has been shown from time to time that money or nationalism trumps human safety.

As claimed by the vaccine manufacturer or the country of production, until they are confirmed safe by trusted independent bodies. It has been shown from time to time that money or nationalism trumps human safety.

Do you understand what are clinical trials? they are not simply tests run by the company but a joint enterprise between them and the official regulators that decide if something is allowed to be used in humans. All drugs and vaccines to be use medically are subjected to this and "hiding" requires a really big conspiracy. Is not something that 3 executives see and can hide under a carpet but a continuous process being evaluated by groups of people from companies, doctors treating patients and regulators from the government.

The conspiracy is not impossible to happen, but it is definitely something very hard to pull out, specially with something given so much attention and vigilance as this. Thinking it has to happen for all the candidates on phase III or the more than a hundred in previous stages of clinical trials is even more difficult to believe than them failing.

You only need one of those to truthfully give good results and we can have a safe and effective vaccine for next year.

Life is a precious gift. We are all athletes on the run. May there be sufficient stock of vaccine for everyone.

Naah, just give them a bunch of hydroxychloroquine tablets.

That priority for the participants is of course to be interpreted as a kind of doping then, so their vaccination should be postponed to after their competition. In fact , they do not even need any vaccines as the games are absolutely safe , otherwise they would have been again postponed or canceled, right? lol

@smithinjapan

Sure, let them be the guinea pigs. See if I care.

Agreed. And surprised but not surprised by the downvotes you got..