The coronavirus vaccine will not be widely available in American pharmacies until the end of February, as previously promised, said the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday.
“We will, as part of our plan, put the vaccine in pharmacies. Will it be in all pharmacies in this country in that timeline? I don’t think so, ”said Dr. Rochelle Walensky to the“ Today Show ”.
“I don’t think that at the end of February we will have a vaccine in all pharmacies in this country.”
In mid-December, the Trump administration’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, told CNBC: “I believe that by the end of February, the end of March, of course, depending on the decisions of our governors, but I believe that we will have sufficient offer available to reach the general public for administration – on their CVS, Walgreens, Kroegers – by the end of February in March. ”
Walensky reiterated the Biden government’s promise to distribute 100 million doses in the first 100 days, and said it would work to accelerate and smooth the production and distribution of life-saving doses.
“After 100 days, there are still a lot of Americans who need a vaccine, so we have our metal pedal to make sure we can get the maximum vaccine out there,” she said. “We recognize that this is the most immediate emergency to bring this country back to health.”
She said that CDC officials have been working for weeks to ensure that “vaccine eligibility meets supply” and that there are enough medical professionals at the inoculation sites.
“The whole basis for implementing the vaccine must be based on equity and we are committed to that,” she added.
In early December, an official from Trump’s Operation Warp Speed said he hoped to immunize 100 million people by the end of February.
“Between mid-December and the end of February, we will potentially have 100 million people immunized,” said Moncef Slaoui, the operation’s scientific consultant at the time.
As of Thursday, the United States had administered 17.5 million doses of vaccine, according to the CDC.