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The US government is optimistic about vaccines. By the end of May, he should have enough to immunize all adults across the country, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.
Not only that, but Americans also feel great with the vaccine. About 69% of Americans had already received the vaccine or were ready to get one when they could, according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center.
This is a huge relief for public health experts. Last year, they saw the number of vaccine surveys drop dramatically in just four months. In September 2020, only half of those polled said they would be ready to take a hypothetical vaccine. Not really surprising, given that at the time the Trump administration was promising to have vaccines in October and people were concerned that the approval process was influenced by politics. Now that the vaccines are here – and real and effective – more people want to be vaccinated.
The next big challenge will actually be getting this sufficient supply of vaccine to these volunteer arms. And just because the government predicts it will have enough secure supplies by May 31 does not mean that every adult in America will be vaccinated within the next 86 days.
“The vaccine race now is not a race out of the lab. It’s a race to the patient, ”said Robin Townley, special projects logistics manager for AP Moller-Maersk, in an interview with Scientific news from December. “This is the largest product launch in human history.”
The figurative “last mile” that separates a patient from their shot will be the most involved part of this whole process. Shipping larger quantities of vaccine from a factory to a distribution center is relatively straightforward, although some of the vaccines must be kept extremely cold.
But then they have to travel from major centers to pharmacies, nursing homes, mass vaccination sites and anywhere else where vaccines are available. This means having enough delivery vehicles on the road and enough space for the freezer and fridge cleared. That means back-up generators and detailed communication plans for the inevitable moment something goes wrong. It means finding better ways to make vaccine appointments so people can access vaccine supplies. Above all, it will require a trained and rapid workforce able to transport the vaccine, store it and administer it safely.
Poor planning and delays contributed to the slowdown in deployment in the United States earlier this year, when local officials were mostly left to determine the distribution themselves. As mass vaccination sites open and supplies increase, some of these delays are starting to disappear. As of December, the United States had vaccinated just 2.8 million people, well below its target of 20 million people. Today, more than 82 million people have been vaccinated, with around 2 million vaccines given each day, according to NPR.
Over the next few months, things to watch out for will not only be the number of vaccines available, but also the number of vaccines given. It will always be a huge challenge, but there is an end in sight. It can still be difficult to plan your trip and summer could be in the air – but if vaccinations are going well and if we can curb the spread of highly transmissible (big if) variants, this drop might look a lot more like normal.
Here’s what happened this week.
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Long COVID patients say they feel better after being vaccinated
Some patients who have suffered symptoms of COVID for months are starting to report to their doctors that they feel better after being vaccinated. Researchers want to collect more data to understand why. (Nicole Wetsman / The edge)
Why virus variants have such strange names
The names of the variants of the coronavirus are almost unpronounceable strings of numbers and letters. Here’s why. (Apoorva Mandivalli and Benjamin Mueller / The New York Times)
Development
How Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 Vaccine Could Close Equity Gaps
Johnson & Johnson vaccine can be stored at refrigerated temperatures and only requires a single dose. This makes it an attractive option for people looking to increase equity in vaccines in the United States and around the world. These vaccines are also proving to be very popular at vaccination sites across the country. (Nicole Wetsman / The edge)
Biden says Merck will help make Johnson & Johnson’s Covid vaccine
Earlier this week, pharmaceutical company Merck agreed to start manufacturing the rival’s vaccine with the aim of increasing supplies later this year. (Berkeley Lovelace Jr / CNBC)
Viewpoints
“You think Rip Van Winkle had a hard time… I wake up and there is a pandemic. There is fear in the eyes of people.
– Lawrence Garbuz, the first New York State patient to become critically ill with COVID-19 on his experience waking up from a coma, as cited in The Wall Street Journal.
“I started taking pictures because I needed them. I was photographing the experience of parenthood during the pandemic and then I started doing these portraits. I didn’t think about where they would go, but I just really needed to articulate something about what was going on. “
– Photographer Alice Proujansky on her “Born in a Pandemic” project. See his work on The edge.
More than numbers
To the more than 115,913,859 people around the world who have tested positive, may your journey to recovery be smooth.
To the families and friends of the 2,576,079 people who have died around the world – including 522,221 in the United States – your loved ones are not forgotten.
Stay safe, everyone.
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