Slavitt said that the difficult start of the distribution effort created an accumulation of doses that are stopped in the states. He said the problem was also exacerbated by inconsistent information that states had been receiving from the federal government about the amount of vaccine they would receive each week.
“We fully understand that this was a direct result of the lack of predictability that many states and providers have had about how many doses they would receive,” said Slavitt during a pandemic response briefing. He noted that the government has pledged to notify states of allocations over a three-week period to allow for better planning.
Slavitt also said that the federal government initially overestimated how many doses to send CVS and Walgreens as part of a vaccination program at long-term care institutions, leading to states that were left without a supply. The CDC is working with the states to reallocate some of these unused doses, POLITICO reported Last week.
About 62 percent of the doses distributed have already been administered, compared with 46 percent about two weeks ago, said Slavitt. He added that the government expects the efficiency of state vaccination programs to “improve continuously”.