Only 5.3 million of the 17.3 million doses distributed were administered in the United States – only 30.7%. It does not come close to the target set by the Trump administration in the fall to deliver 20 million vaccines to Americans by the end of 2020. Many states are therefore taking steps to speed things up.
“We can not put vaccines on the shelf,” he said.
“States across the country feel they are watching the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee to vaccinate everyone in group 1a before going to 1b and beyond, and what I want people to know are guidelines,” Adams said.
“If the demand is not in one place, the vaccines will move to another place,” Adams told the NBC program Today on Tuesday.
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said Wednesday that he encourages governors to go ahead and use “every bit” of the vaccine.
“If the distribution is struggling for some reason, and if there are vaccines in freezers, then in all respects you should open up to people aged 70 and older, 65 years and older, you should make sure that the nursing home patients are vaccinated, Azar said on Wednesday.
States begin to shift priorities
Some states appoint members of the public for vaccinations.
In CDC data, less than a quarter of the doses of the coronavirus vaccine distributed end up in the arms of humans. Until last week, Georgia was one of the many states that formally adhered to the guidance of federal health officials to first vaccinate only health workers and residents of long-term care facilities before moving on to other vulnerable populations.
With the vaccination of vaccines, the state is relaxing its rules and shifting its priorities. The plan? Let go of the elderly populations.
Atrium Health said Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, that it is based on guidance from the state and CDC’s advisory committee after Phase 1b and has administered its first vaccine doses to the general public. It is said that ‘hundreds’ have already scheduled appointments needed for vaccination.
“We are working to ensure that the distribution of the vaccine is inclusive and with as few obstacles as possible,” said Dr. Gary Little, chief medical officer of Atrium Health, said in a statement. “Planning and receiving the vaccine when it is available is the best way we can all participate in ending this pandemic, while saving many lives in the process.”
Other states are preparing to open the line – but not just yet.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Tuesday he hopes the state will begin its next phase of vaccination in about two weeks, depending on the availability of vaccines. Phase 1b in Ohio includes people 65 and older and people with certain medical conditions, as well as K-12 teachers and staff.
In Illinois, Gov. JB Pritzker announced that residents 65 and older could get the vaccine in the next phase, which will begin in a few weeks.
And in South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster set a January 15 deadline for the people in Phase 1a to get the vaccine. If these health workers and residents of nursing homes do not report by then, they will be moved ‘back in line’ to make room for the following groups.
A big budget for massive efforts against vaccines
Despite pressure to accelerate vaccinations, funding was a major obstacle.
In the fall, the states submitted vaccination plans to the CDC, but ‘were not necessarily given all the necessary tools to make it successful’, according to Jennifer Kates, senior vice president and director of global health and HIV policy . at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
On Wednesday, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced that more than $ 3 billion will go to countries to help vaccinate people.
“Hopefully it will help, but it comes late in the process as states are already doing vaccines but the resources were not there yet,” Kates said.
“It’s basically a challenge to get the biggest vaccination we’ve ever seen,” Kates said. “They may have plans on paper, but that does not necessarily mean that states were ready to implement them at full speed immediately.”
But if states expand too fast, demand could be too great and cause more disappointment and frustration for people who urgently need vaccines.
“Nationally, it’s a bit bumpy in some places and in others, but it’s important to remember that we’re in the early stages,” Kates said. “Hopefully it will be smoother.
“The last thing you want is for people to get their vaccine and not be able to get it.”
CNN’s Deidre McPhilips, Tina Burnside, Melissa Alonso, Andy Rose and Gisela Crespo contributed to this report.