Minnesota, Utah face lawsuit over administering COVID-19 drugs in the context of race and ethnicity

On Wednesday, a charity founded by senior Trump administration officials threatened to sue the Minnesota and Utah health authorities after they published guidelines that include race and ethnicity when determining COVID-19 treatment eligibility.

In two separate letters to both states' health authorities, America First Legal (AFL) accused them of adopting "blatantly racist, unlawful, and immoral rules" that "order the rationing of medicine based on race and self-selected ethnicity."

COVID-19 patients with "additional high-risk comorbidities," such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, chronic renal disease, heart problems, and chronic liver disease, are awarded one point by the program.

"In addition to certain underlying health issues, the FDA has noted that race and ethnicity "may also place particular parents at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19," according to the document.

13 Jan 2022