EXCLUSIVE: Kevin McCarthy, Leader of the House, and Rep. Young Kim led Congress members of the GOP in California in the government’s demand Gavin Newsom over the ‘failures’ of the coronavirus vaccination by the state.
They sent a letter to Newsom on Tuesday, first obtained by Fox News, asking the disputed governor to respond to questions about the number of unused vaccinations and why provinces and local health care providers could not have a better lead get on the number of vaccinations they will not receive.
“The state of California needs to explain to Californians why the distribution of vaccines has had such failures, despite the months they had to prepare for the development of the vaccine,” the 11 California GOP members wrote.
The congressmen point to technical issues, data backlogs and a lack of transparency for the setbacks in the distribution of vaccinations that have frustrated their ingredients.
“We are writing to express our serious concern about the slow, opaque decision-making process of the State of California and the ever-changing approach to the distribution of COVID vaccines, which is being confused by our voters, local public health officials and front-runners. health care, ”wrote the Congress members.
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“With the remarkable success of the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed in the production of safe and effective vaccines and therapeutic agents to fight the coronavirus, the state’s vaccine distribution plan must be coherent, effective and transparent, otherwise we fear that more Californians could die because of COVID. “
McCarthy and Kim were the lead authors of the letter. The Republican representatives, David Valadao, Darrell Issa, Michelle Steel, Mike Garcia, Doug LaMalfa, Devin Nunes, Tom McClintock, Ken Calvert and Jay Obernolte joined them.
Government Gavin Newsom, D-California, and Representative Kevin McCarthy, R-California.
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The legislators want answers as to why the Golden State lags behind other states due to the number of vaccines administered per capita. They cite data from Feb. 11 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that found that California received a total of 7,822 million vaccines, but only 5,134 million of these vaccines were administered.
“This means that about 35 percent of the total vaccines distributed to the Golden State have yet to be administered, and California lags behind Florida, New York and Washington State in vaccines that are administered per capita,” lawmakers wrote to Newsom. .
Newsom, who is experiencing a severe recall effort for his coronavirus response, said he is working with the Biden administration to improve the effectiveness and fairness of vaccine vaccination.
Government Gavin Newsom leans over to speak to a person waiting to receive a COVID-19 vaccination at a drive-in center through Natomas High School in Sacramento, California, on Thursday, February 11, 2021. Appointments were needed for the 1,000 vaccinations must be given to 65 and older, first responders, health workers, teachers, food and agricultural employers. The collaboration between Natomas’ Unified School District, the Sacramento County Department of Public Health and Sacramento’s Deputy Mayor Angelique Ashby, behind Newsom, who represents the area. (AP Photo / Rich Pedroncelli)
At a news conference Tuesday with various officials, Newsom announced the opening of two massive vaccination sites in Los Angeles and Oakland that are intended to bring vaccinations to communities particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is expected that everyone will be able to administer 6000 vaccinations per day by the end of the week. Each will also have mobile units to leave for communities.
“It is close to a community that has been excessively affected by this pandemic,” Newsom said Tuesday when he praised the partnership with FEMA. “The attempt here is to address the issue directly.”
The vast majority of Californians have not yet been vaccinated. According to Tuesday afternoon, just under 6.3 million doses were administered in a condition involving nearly 40 million people.
“We realize we need to do more work. The issue at the end of the day is supply,” Newsom said Tuesday. “We need to produce more Modern vaccine, more Pfizer vaccine. We need to get the federal approval of the J&J vaccine. We need to provide enough so that we can plan, not just two to three weeks, but in the course of the next few months. ‘
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However, the GOP members of Congress say that the Newsom administration has not publicly announced its formulas for determining grants in the country, which has made it incredibly difficult for local officials to develop and implement vaccination plans.
BUENA PARK, CA – DECEMBER 18, 2020: Young Kim was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2020. Kim represents the 39th Congress District. Kim and GOP leader Kevin McCarthy were the lead authors of a letter to Govin Newsom on February 16, 2021, demanding answers about the California vaccination. (Photo by Paul Bersebach / MediaNews Group / Orange County Register via Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
They also point to a series of technical problems and bad data, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, that hampered the accuracy and transparency of the vaccine explosion.
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“As California is a beacon of technological innovation, it is particularly disturbing,” members of Congress wrote.
Newsom’s office earlier Tuesday referred to the governor’s comments during the opening of the vaccination site when asked for comment from Fox News on the letter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.