Incident 91: Frontline workers protest at Stanford after hospital distributed vaccine to administrators
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Taxonomy DetailsFull Description
In 2020, Stanford Medical Center residents protested the Center's distribution of only 7 of the 5,000 COVID-19 vaccines it had received to Medical Residents, who were frontline workers compared to other hospital staff less exposed to COVID-19. Stanford Medical Center employed an algorithm to determine vaccine distribution, and its weight of certain factors alongside the lack on information inputted for Medical Residents shaped the outcome of the distribution plan. The algorithm alledly prioritised age and superiority of position, regardless of physician's physical location at the Stanford Medical Center during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Short Description
In 2020, Stanford Medical Center's distribution algorithm only designated 7 of 5,000 vaccines to Medical Residents, who are frontline workers regularly exposed to COVID-19.
Severity
Minor
Harm Distribution Basis
Age, Ideology, Other:Physician superiority status
Harm Type
Harm to physical health/safety
AI System Description
Stanford Medical Center's algorithm used a rules-based formula for calculating who would get the COVID-19 vaccine first at Stanford. It considers three categories: “employee-based variables,” which have to do with age; “job-based variables”; and guidelines from the California Department of Public Health. For each category, staff received a certain number of points, with a total possible score of 3.48. Presumably, the higher the score, the higher the person’s priority in line.
System Developer
Stanford Medical Center
Sector of Deployment
Human health and social work activities
Relevant AI functions
Cognition
AI Techniques
machine learning
AI Applications
decision support
Location
Stanford Medical Center
Named Entities
Stanford Medical Center
Technology Purveyor
Stanford Medical Center
Beginning Date
12/2020
Ending Date
12/2020
Near Miss
Unclear/unknown
Intent
Accident
Lives Lost
No
Data Inputs
names, age, location, position, job, COVID-19 tests
Incident Reports
Reports Timeline
Update, Dec. 18, 2020: This story has been updated to add comments from Stanford Medicine.
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Video footage from…
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