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EXCLUSIVE: Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy and Representative Young Kim led California GOP congressmen in demanding responses from Governor Gavin Newsom on the ‘failures’ of the coronavirus vaccine rollout State.
They sent a letter to Newsom on Tuesday, obtained first by Fox News, asking the besieged governor to answer questions about the number of unused vaccines and why counties and local health care providers can’t have a better shot. information on the number of vaccines. they will receive.
“The state of California should explain to Californians why the vaccine distribution has experienced such failures, despite months to prepare before the vaccine is developed,” wrote the 11 members of Congress from the California GOP.
Members of Congress point to technical problems, data delays and a lack of transparency for setbacks in vaccine distribution that have frustrated their constituents.
“We are writing to express our grave concerns about the state of California’s slow and opaque decision-making process and the ever-changing approach to COVID vaccine distribution, which has sparked confusion and frustration from our constituents. , local public health and frontline officials, ”wrote members of Congress.
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“With the remarkable success of the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed in producing safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics to help fight the coronavirus, the state’s vaccine distribution plan must be consistent,” efficient and transparent, otherwise we fear that more Californians will die as a result of COVID. “
McCarthy and Kim were the primary authors of the letter. They were joined by Republican officials: David Valadao, Darrell Issa, Michelle Steel, Mike Garcia, Doug LaMalfa, Devin Nunes, Tom McClintock, Ken Calvert and Jay Obernolte.
Governor Gavin Newsom, D-California, and Representative Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
(Getty Images)
Lawmakers want answers as to why the Golden State is lagging behind other states in the number of vaccines administered per capita. They cite Feb. 11 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that said California has received a total of 7.822 million vaccines, but only 5.134 million of those vaccines have been given.
“This means that about 35 percent of the total vaccines distributed to the Golden State remain to be administered and places California behind Florida, New York and Washington State for vaccines administered per capita,” lawmakers wrote to Newsom .
Newsom, which faces a serious recall effort for its response to the coronavirus, said it was working with the Biden administration to improve the efficiency and fairness of the vaccine rollout.
Governor Gavin Newsom leans in to speak with a person waiting to be vaccinated against COVID-19 at a drive-thru vaccination center at Natomas High School in Sacramento, Calif. On Thursday, February 11, 2021. Appointments were required for the 1,000 people. vaccinations for people 65 years of age and over, first responders, health workers, teachers, food and agriculture employers. Called an equitable distribution site, it prioritized those disproportionately affected by COVID-19, was a collaboration between the Natomas Unified School District, the Sacramento County Public Health Department and the Vice Mayor from Sacramento, Angelique Ashby, behind Newsom, who represents the region. (AP Photo / Rich Pedroncelli)
At a press conference Tuesday with various officials, Newsom announced the opening of two federally-backed mass vaccination sites in Los Angeles and Oakland, intended to vaccinate communities particularly affected by the COVID pandemic. -19.
Everyone is expected to be able to administer 6,000 vaccines per day by the end of the week. Each will also have mobile units to go to the communities.
“He is close to a community that has been disproportionately affected by this pandemic,” Newsom said Tuesday, praising the partnership with FEMA. “The effort here is to solve this problem straightforward.
The vast majority of Californians have not yet been vaccinated. As of Tuesday afternoon, just under 6.3 million doses were administered in a state of nearly 40 million people, according to the state’s Vaccine Dashboard.
“We recognize that we still have work to do. The problem at the end of the day is the supply,” Newsom said Tuesday. “We need to make more Moderna vaccine, more Pfizer vaccine. We need to get federal approval for the J&J vaccine. We need to provide a sufficient supply to be able to plan, not just two to three weeks, but the next few months. “
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GOP congressmen, however, say the Newsom administration has not publicly disclosed its formulas for determining vaccine allocations in counties, which “made it incredibly difficult for local officials to develop and implement. implementing vaccination plans. “
BUENA PARK, CA – DECEMBER 18, 2020: Young Kim was elected to the United States House of Representatives in November 2020. Kim represents the 39th Congressional District. Kim and GOP chief Kevin McCarthy were the primary authors of a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom on February 16, 2021, which demanded responses on the vaccine rollout in California. (Photo by Paul Bersebach / MediaNews Group / Orange County Register via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
They also point to a series of technical glitches and bad data, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, that have hampered the accuracy and transparency of the vaccine deployment.
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“California being a beacon of technological innovation, this is particularly puzzling,” wrote members of Congress.
Newsom’s office referred to the governor’s comments earlier Tuesday when the vaccination site opened when he was invited to comment on the letter by Fox News.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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