“What we need from the federal government is that they started planning the distribution of the vaccine long before last year,” said Casey Katims, Washington’s federal representative.
Trump administration officials say shooting guns is the responsibility of states. But it is not clear whether the states’ emergency measures will be enough to put back the most ambitious vaccination campaign in the history of the United States. And the confusion Statewide approaches are creating growing disparities across the country as to who can get the vaccine. Some pharmacists started offering the remaining doses of the coveted vaccine to the general public before it spoiled. In other parts of the country, people at high risk – including frontline workers – are still waiting for their vaccines.
“The distribution is moving more slowly than people expected,” said Clay Marsh, czar of Covid-19 in West Virginia. “We are not satisfied because we want to get vaccines in all arms of West Virginia, but this is an extremely complicated process.”
Officials at Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine accelerator, said holidays, snowstorms and a significant reporting delay contributed to lower-than-expected vaccination numbers in December. More than 2.6 million people have been inoculated out of the 20 million that the federal government has repeatedly promised.
Government officials rejected the notion that they did not provide adequate support to states. Federal officials talk to states several times a week and monitor state data to “learn how we can best assist future efforts,” said a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services. And Vice President Mike Pence’s office said the White House coronavirus task force is planning a call with governors later this week or early next week after not meeting over the holidays.
Meanwhile, federal health experts, including surgeon general Jerome Adams and infectious disease researcher Anthony Fauci, said the pace of vaccination is increasing. The White House estimates that half a million people are being vaccinated each day – but the scene on the ground is different in each state.
While random shoppers at a Washington, DC grocery store luck to get injections about to expire in the past few days, seniors in Florida are camping overnight to guarantee their doses.
On the other hand, West Virginia is on track to complete vaccinations for residents and nursing home staff even before some states initiate them – mainly because West Virginia health officials have broken with the federal strategy of relying on Walgreens and CVS to distribute vaccines in long-term care facilities.
But West Virginia also had an embarrassing stumble last week, when 44 people, many of them elderly, were treated with a Regeneron antibody treatment instead of the intended vaccine. It was a good reminder that implementing vaccination across the country “is more complex than a military operation,” said Marsh.
At the federal level, an effort to deliver more doses has divided authorities. Warp Speed chief Moncef Slaoui said on Sunday that the government is in talks with vaccine maker Moderna to halve doses of its vaccine for many adults – only to be rebuked Monday night for a statement. from the Food and Drug Administration asking suppliers to stick to science.
“We know that some of these discussions about changing the dosage or dose schedule are based on the belief that [doing so helps] deliver more vaccine to the public faster, ”wrote Commissioner Stephen Hahn and FDA chief vaccine Peter Marks. “However, making these changes that are not supported by adequate scientific evidence can be counterproductive to public health.”
State health officials are also concerned with the half-dose approach. “We will not change the way vaccination is given, it will follow manufacturers’ instructions,” Angela Ling, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Incident Commander, told a news conference on Monday.
But state and local officials are still desperate for more vaccines and support and, in the absence of federal guidance, are leaving on their own.
“Governors are talking to other governors, chiefs of staff to chiefs of staff, analyzing logistics, sharing best practices, what is working, what is not working,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in an interview press conference on Monday. The state managed only a third of its 1.2 million shots.
Public health experts say the Trump team has placed a lot of responsibility on the state’s health departments without money who are already struggling with a violent pandemic.
An HHS spokesman said in a statement that the Trump administration began planning with states in September; gave jurisdictions the necessary supplies, such as needles; and has sent $ 340 million so far to help states plan for distribution, with another $ 8.75 billion on the way.
“We strongly encourage states and jurisdictions experiencing slow vaccine absorption to expand their administration efforts across all priority groups to ensure that vaccines are reaching these populations as quickly as possible and doses are not left unused on the shelves,” wrote the spokesman.
President-elect Joe Biden pledged a more robust federal partnership with states, arguing that Covid-19’s vaccination effort is “lagging behind” and promising to increase federal support and funding along with its offer to distribute 100 million vaccines in your first 100 days.
“All of this – vaccines, tests, protective equipment – will require more funding from Congress, more than what has just been approved,” he said in a speech last week. “That’s why I’m going to propose a Covid action package early next year and challenge Congress to act quickly.”