[ad_1]
States, counties and cities say they are running out of coronavirus vaccines, leading to the cancellation or postponement of appointments for thousands of people even as the country tries to step up the pace of vaccinations.
Health officials desperately need clarity from the federal government on vaccine shipments, saying they need precise numbers to plan weeks in advance.
Instead, the numbers only arrived one week at a time and were not consistent.
The Biden administration is committed to working with states to improve communication, but for now, it is working to determine how much vaccine is available.
“Allocation and procurement are critical areas in which we unfortunately did not have much visibility”, Jeff Zients
Jeff ZientsBiden under pressure to deliver more COVID-19 doses Fauci: We’re not starting from scratch on vaccine distribution These are executive orders Biden signed in the first three days of his tenure MOREPresident Biden’s COVID-19 coordinator told reporters.
“We will work to provide projections on the offer. We hear time and time again from governors and local leaders that they just don’t know what offer is coming and cannot plan. We absolutely will, over the next few days. As we get in. our arms around what’s going on, make sure we’re communicating with states and communities so they can prepare effectively, ”Zients added.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states have administered only 47 percent of the nearly 40 million doses delivered. But experts say those numbers don’t paint the full picture and don’t necessarily mean vaccines are unused.
“I know there is a perception that the vaccine didn’t come out fast enough,” but it doesn’t, said Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi state health official.
Speaking on a podcast with the Association of State and Territory Health Officials, Dobbs said Mississippi will run out of doses soon.
“Most of the doses that we’ve given to health systems to dispense, and they’re really starting to release them. I think we’re going to run out of vaccines soon, and there will be people who say, ‘It’s my turn now. Why can’t I sit down at the table? Dobbs says.
Health experts and federal officials have said for months that initial COVID-19 vaccines are going to be scarce.
In the first two weeks after getting emergency clearance for the vaccines, states struggled to administer them quickly enough. Now the demand is higher, states have streamlined their administration systems and supply cannot keep up.
“States have made adjustments. They are opening up [eligibility] to more people. But, you know, their allocation is not increasing, which is why you see states asking for more doses, ”said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers.
The number of vaccine doses shipped has not changed significantly since the end of December. In the dying days of the Trump administration, however, officials recommended that states be eligible for anyone over 65 as well as anyone under 65 with a pre-existing condition.
These measures put even more pressure on states’ already limited supplies.
States also believed they would receive double the number of new doses this week after Trump’s health officials said they would no longer withhold booster shots.
But that was not the case, as the government ran out of stocks.
Meanwhile, demand has far exceeded supply in some areas. This week, New York City had to postpone 23,000 appointments after depleting the city’s supply for the first doses.
Mayor Bill de Blasio
Bill de BlasioFauci said the second COVID-19 vaccine had knocked him out for 24 hours. The Ohio vaccine distributor was suspended after improperly storing and wasting 890 doses. Amazon offers to help Biden with vaccine distribution | Pence presents coronavirus task force report to Biden PLUS (D) sent a letter to the Biden administration on Friday asking for flexibility to use its second-dose supply to “bridge the gap to a period of increased production” and maximize the number of first doses administered.
In San Francisco, city officials feared they would run out of supplies, but were granted a last-minute reprieve when the state allowed them to resume use of a batch of Moderna vaccine that had been taken out of service for possible security issues.
Still, health officials say they need more information from the federal government.
“The unpredictable and erratic flow of vaccines in San Francisco makes it impossible for the city’s health care providers or [Department of Public Health] to plan appropriately, ”the city’s COVID command center said in a statement to The Hill.
The Biden administration has been praised for being more open about the challenges of fighting the coronavirus, but officials have not explained how they can increase the supply of vaccines.
White House press secretary Jen psaki
Jen PsakiBiden under pressure to deliver more COVID-19 shots Biden, Trudeau agrees to meet next month Democrats seek answers on Russian cyberattack impact on Justice Department and courts MORE said on Thursday that engaging with states and local officials would be a priority, but gave no example of direction for the future.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Andrew CuomoThree National Guardsmen killed after military helicopter crash in New York City New York City postpones 23,000 vaccination appointments due to supply issues Pence hands over coronavirus task force report to Biden MORE (D) recently said the National Association of Governors will hold weekly meetings with Zients. They are still working on schedule.
[ad_2]
Source link