Dr Anthony Fauci said on Wednesday that the US government should have done a better job of getting coronavirus vaccines to its citizens.
About 5.3 million people have been vaccinated so far despite federal officials promising to give 20 million vaccines by the end of 2020. In total, less than 20 million vaccines have been distributed across the country.
“Obviously there are no excuses. We should have handed out 20, and 20 in the arms of people – by 20 I mean 20 million,” Fauci told the Washington Economic Club. by CNN.
“I think we should wait the first few weeks in January to determine what is wrong, if anything.”
Fauci, longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the start of such an ambitious deployment amid the pandemic and during the holiday season could have contributed to delays.
“Again, no apologies, but you can explain why you may not have reached the level you want,” Fauci said. “We should have done better not to make excuses. So let me make this clear.
“We should have done better, but I think we should wait until maybe the second, or third week in January, we start to see if we can reach the original pace that has been set.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar blamed the holiday season for slowing down the vaccination of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
“Pfizer’s vaccine has been approved and can be shipped, I think it was December 14th and Moderna’s is authorized and available to ship on December 21st. Then of course you have Christmas and New Year there,” Azar said during Operation Warp. Speed briefing.
‘So while we continue to ship, you only have the natural human behavioral element of the holiday season there, which enables hospitals, pharmacies and other healthcare providers to set individuals up for vaccination. This is also a normal consequence. ‘
According to Azar, the disease control and prevention centers have been strictly enforced to give the first doses of the vaccine to frontline workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
“I have encouraged our governors, and I will continue to do so, if they use all the ordered vaccine – which is allocated, ordered, distributed, shipped – and they get it in the arms of healthcare providers, every bit of it, that is wonderful, ‘said Azar.
“But if the distribution is struggling for some reason, and if there are vaccines in freezers, then you need to be open in all respects to people aged 70 and older, 65 and older, you have to make sure that the nursing home patients are vaccinated . ‘
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