Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Wednesday that he is advising states to start vaccinating low-priority groups against Covid-19 if the doses they have on hand would be in freezers.
“It would be much better to act quickly and end up vaccinating some low-priority people than to leave vaccines stopped while states try to micromanage this process,” Azar said in a statement, expressing frustration at the pace of vaccinations.
“Faster administration can save lives now, which means that we cannot allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good,” he said.
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The comments indicate that states will have the blessing of the Trump administration to deviate from national guidance on vaccination priorities, and that they should not be too concerned if hospitals or healthcare providers use out-of-order doses.
About 17.3 million doses of vaccine have been distributed to states, while 5.3 million people have received an initial dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Azar offered Florida as an example of a state that has adjusted the criteria to define who is eligible to receive a dose of the vaccine, so that limited supply reaches people in need. Azar said he had spoken by phone on Wednesday to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican.
DeSantis said two weeks ago that he would make Covid-19 vaccines available to people aged 65 and over, placing them ahead of others who are younger but have jobs that put them at risk. The decision caused chaos and some disappointment, especially among people who failed to make commitments.
Florida is just in the middle of the vaccination list as a portion of its population.
There has been a debate across the country about who should have priority for vaccinations. Although the CDC has issued guidelines, it is ultimately up to states to determine where people stand in line – and how to strictly enforce the order.
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New Jersey health commissioner Judith Persichilli said on Wednesday that her condition would not be rigid when passing through different priority groups.
“It is not necessary to vaccinate all individuals in one phase before starting the next phase,” she said during a briefing.
“The phases can actually overlap,” he added. “The movement between the phases will be very fluid. One phase will overlap another. We will not wait for all individuals in a phase to be vaccinated before opening to additional groups. “
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