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With a vulnerable population, centralized care, and a strong system in place for other shots, dialysis providers argue that they should be part of the early rollout with higher prioritization for their patients. I have talked to dialysis providers large and small across the country, and it is a unanimous opinion that we would like to be able to vaccinate our patients, in our facilities, by our staff, said Jeffrey Silberzweig, MD, co-chair of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) COVID-19 Response Team.
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are among the most vulnerable populations for poor outcomes of COVID-19. They had the highest rate of COVID-19 hospitalization among all Medicare beneficiaries four-fold that of other age-matched seniors; their COVID-19 mortality rate was 25-fold that of other Medicare beneficiaries the same age.