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Leading health experts have rejected suggestions that the United States could “space out” the second injection of coronavirus vaccines to deal with perceived distribution problems.
President Trump and Operation Warp Speed have continuously touted they could immunize 20 million people by the end of December: in fact, the program saw just under 3 million people receive the first injection of ‘a two-dose program.
With cases surging across the country, some have suggested the United States could follow the UK’s plan and space the shots out – forgoing second shots so more people can receive their first shot.
Dr Anthony Fauci and Dr Moncef Slaoui (AP Photos)
Dr Anthony Fauci immediately dismissed the idea, saying it was “the right solution to the wrong question”. He further pointed out that there is no data on what happens if the second shot is not administered.
“The question of giving it to people and not having a guarantee that you will get a second shot goes against the science,” Fauci told “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd. “The idea of stretching it out so you can give more people is if you don’t have enough vaccine and you have people lined up to get the vaccine.”
Fauci later said a partial lockdown like what’s done in California was “not out of the question.”
“We hope we don’t have to do this across the country, because we believe that if you adhere to public health measures, you can change things without a uniform lockdown,” Fauci said.
Operation Warp Speed adviser Dr Moncef Slaoui echoed Fauci’s position, insisting that it is “unreasonable” to change vaccination programs.
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“We have no data after a dose – if we leave it for a month, two months, three months – with maybe incomplete immunity, maybe even a poor immune response,” Fauci told the host. from “Face the Nation”, Margaret Brennan.
“Changing the decisions made, the choices made, which was to give two doses of the vaccine – the second dose gives you 10 times the immune response – without the data I think would not be responsible.”
The two experts remained firm in their insistence that the vaccine distribution go on schedule: rather, it is about getting people to take the vaccine.
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Slaoui insisted that all distribution targets were met, with all states “receiving their allocation” of vaccines.
When asked what Operation Warp Speed can do to help boost effective vaccine uptake, Slaoui argued that this is an issue with states deciding how to use the vaccines. vaccines.
“I don’t think we are able to identify exactly which long-term care facility or which CVS store should receive which vaccine or which quantity of vaccine,” Slaoui explained. “It has to be done by people who have granular knowledge of their population, of their movements.”
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Fauci and Slaoui said 1.5 million doses had been given in the past 72 hours, saying such an increase in vaccinations proved the program was catching up to its goals.
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