Massachusetts wanted to get vaccines directly from Pfizer and Moderna

The federal government has been responsible for the process of allocating and distributing millions of doses of the COVID-19 vaccine across the country.

But with vaccines being developed and manufactured right here in Massachusetts, state officials initially tried to go straight to the source.

In an interview published on Sunday, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services, Marylou Sudders, told CommonWealth Magazine that the administration initially tried to sign a direct contract with Pfizer and Moderna, makers of the two approved COVID-19 vaccines. in the United States, amid concerns about how the federal government would allocate doses.

“In fact, we tried to get a sort of position in Massachusetts with Pfizer and Moderna,” said Sudders, adding that “we were told that the federal government basically bought all the vaccines” and did indeed have the right of preference.

According to the Federal Department of Health and Human Services, the government has agreed to purchase 400 million doses of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna to distribute across the country. However, before that process became clear, Sudders said Massachusetts was looking to buy doses directly from Pfizer and Moderna, both with factories in the Bay State.

“Initially, we were concerned about how the federal government would distribute the vaccine,” Sudders told the Commonwealth. “We were initially hearing, you know, complicated formulas.”

The federal-led vaccine implementation comes after states have competed with each other and with President Donald Trump’s administration for protective equipment and medical equipment during the early stages of the pandemic.

Sudders said she and Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker argued that the vaccine should be distributed to states based simply on their population, which is what federal officials have decided.

Massachusetts expected to receive a total of 300,000 doses by the end of December to start vaccinating health workers, staff and nursing home residents, first responders and people in shelters and prisons for the homeless.

However, earlier this month, Massachusetts and other states saw their allocations reduced without explanation by the federal government by more than 20 percent.

“We are certainly frustrated,” Baker told reporters at the time.

Still, officials emphasized that they did not expect the change to have any long-term effect on the state’s vaccine distribution plan schedule. The leaders of the federal vaccine distribution effort ended up blaming the reduced distribution for an administrative error.

“I can accept that, because this is the beginning of a vaccine launch,” Sudders told CommonWealth. “We are going to vaccinate … about 5.8 [to] 6 million people [in Massachusetts]. We will have our own difficult times when launching the vaccine. “

Despite describing herself as “concerned” by nature, Sudder noted on Sunday that she is now hopeful “for the first time” since the start of the pandemic due to increased availability of vaccines.

“I really have hope,” said Sudders.