Senior White House Covid-19 consultant Andy Slavitt warned that there is concern that suppliers, amid a lack of predictability about supply, are withholding available doses.
“We believe that some health professionals regularly withhold the doses that are intended to be the first doses and instead keep them in reserve for the second doses for patients. We want to make it clear that we understand why health professionals did that, but that it doesn’t need to happen and it shouldn’t happen, “said Slavitt at a virtual press conference on Monday.
But Slavitt predicted that “the efficiency of doses administered will continually increase.”
“On January 20, the states managed 46% of their stocks. Today, that number is 62%. We are focused on that every hour of every day, ”he said.
Slavitt suggested that in some cases, patients’ appointments for the first dose are being canceled and urged the urgency to deliver the first doses as soon as possible. He said the government’s decision last week to provide a three-week window for vaccine delivery plans was intended to allay concerns that second doses might be withheld.
“With this action, states and vaccine providers will use their first doses more quickly to vaccinate the largest number of people as quickly and equitably as possible, because they now have the predictability that the second dose will be there when the time comes”, said.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, made another appeal on Monday for people to be vaccinated against Covid-19 when it is their turn to launch the vaccine – not only for personal health, but also to help prevent the appearance of more variants of the coronavirus in the future.
“You need to be vaccinated when it is available, as quickly and expeditiously as possible,” said Fauci during a briefing at the White House, adding that viruses cannot mutate if they do not replicate.
“You stop replication by vaccinating widely,” said Fauci. “When the vaccine is available to you, please be vaccinated.”
Jacqueline Howard of CNN contributed to this report.