  A priority system has traditionally been the protocol of choice for the
allocation of scarce life-saving resources during public health emergencies.
Covid-19 revealed the limitations of this allocation rule. Many argue that
priority systems abandon ethical values such as equity by discriminating
against disadvantaged communities. We show that a restrictive feature of the
traditional priority system largely drives these limitations. Following
minimalist market design, an institution design paradigm that integrates
research and policy efforts, we formulate pandemic allocation of scarce
life-saving resources as a new application of market design. Interfering only
with the restrictive feature of the priority system to address its
shortcomings, we formulate a reserve system as an alternative allocation rule.
Our theoretical analysis develops a general theory of reserve design. We relate
our analysis to debates during Covid-19 and describe the impact of our paper on
policy and practice.
