Senator Mitt Romney, R-Utah, raised the alarm on Friday about the lack of a federal strategy to distribute coronavirus vaccination and called for urgent action.
He said the lack of a comprehensive plan that states could use as a model “is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable,” said Romney.
The former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 2012 said the current program is “woefully behind schedule, despite the fact that it includes the two easiest populations to vaccinate: frontline workers and long-term residents.”
Unless a new plan is developed immediately, “deadly delays can be compounded as larger and more complex populations are added,” said Romney.
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The United States has authorized two COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use, developed at a record pace by Pfizer and Moderna. The United States set a goal to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of December, but failed. To date, 12.4 million doses have been distributed, but only about 2.8 million people have been vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Romney said it is unrealistic to assume that overworked healthcare professionals, as well as limited-staffed CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, could take over the massive vaccination program.
Senate Mitt Romney, R-Utah, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, speaks during the committee’s business meeting, where he will consider new subpoenas in the investigation of “Hurricane Crossfire” / Capitol Burisma on Wednesday, September 16 in Washington. (AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Admitting that they are probably flaws, Romney offered his own ideas about who, where and how vaccines should be distributed.
He would like to recruit all medical professionals who currently do not treat patients – retired or active – to administer the vaccines.
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“This could include veterinarians, combat doctors and rescuers, medical students, EMS professionals, rescuers and many others who could easily be trained to administer vaccines,” said Romney. “Congress has already allocated funds to the states so that these professionals are fully reimbursed.”
Romney also said that vaccination sites need to be set up in each state, as in all schools, and with a medical professional prepared to respond to any adverse reactions.
Finally, Romeny said that Americans should be vaccinated by date of birth and priority category. For example, people with a birthday on January 1 in group A would go on that specific date, said Romney.
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“We are already late; urgent action now can help us catch up,” he said.