Frustration is growing with the launch of the coronavirus vaccine. The Trump administration has promised 20 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year, but so far, not even 3 million vaccines have been administered and just over 11 million doses have been sent.
President-elect Joe Biden suggested Tuesday the Trump administration has promised too much and delivered insufficiently. Mr. Biden noted that at the current rate, it would take years to vaccinate the country against COVID-19. Biden promised to speed up the pace of vaccinations and boost Americans’ confidence in vaccines as soon as he takes office next month.
“This is the biggest operational challenge we face as a nation,” said Biden on Tuesday.
Biden said his next government will move heaven and earth to put the vaccination effort back on track. “We can do this, but it will take up to 1 million vaccines a day, yet it will take months to vaccinate most,” he said.
Biden gave few details about how his government will achieve that milestone, but said he would invoke the Defense Production Act to speed up the supply of vaccines. He called COVID’s recently approved $ 900 billion relief bill as an initial payment to control the pandemic.
Thousands of vulnerable seniors lined up Tuesday across Florida, some waiting overnight, hoping to secure the coveted first dose of the COVID vaccine. “He’s over 70, he’s diabetic and we think, like everyone else, that this is a life-and-death vaccine,” said Marie Petitti of her husband, Tony.
But there are not enough vaccines for everyone in the queue in Lee County, which was packed at 7am on Tuesday. Distribution is slower than promised.
In Georgia, nursing home residents began receiving the vaccine 11 days after the FDA authorized the Modern vaccine.
“It is incredibly frustrating. Ten months after the pandemic started, we are still talking about the basics of how to put vaccines in people’s arms,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.
“Obviously, we have a huge demand that is not being met and there is no well-coordinated and careful plan for how we are going to vaccinate,” added Jha.
Distribution and execution plans fall on the already overburdened public health departments.
COVID’s new relief account has $ 8.75 billion allocated for vaccination distribution, including $ 4.5 billion for states. But it will take time to distribute that money, delaying vital outreach campaigns.