States, provinces and cities say they have no coronavirus vaccines, leading to canceled or delayed appointments for thousands of people, even as the country tries to increase the rate of vaccinations.
Health officials are desperate for federal government clarity on vaccine vaccinations and say they need accurate numbers to plan weeks in advance.
Instead, the figures came only one week at a time and were inconsistent.
The Biden government has promised to work with states to improve communication, but is now figuring out how much vaccine is available.
“Allocation and supply are critical areas for which we were unfortunately not much visible,” Jeff Zients
Jeff ZientsBiden under pressure to deliver more COVID-19 shots Fauci: We are not starting from scratch about the distribution of vaccines. These are the executive orders that Biden signed in the first three days in office MORE, President Biden’s COVID-19 coordinator told reporters.
“We will work to provide projections on the offer. We keep hearing from governors and local leaders that they just do not know what the offer is going to be and can not plan. We will absolutely go the next few days, as we get. ensure that we communicate with states and localities so that they can prepare effectively, ‘Zients added.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states administered only 47 percent of the nearly 40 million doses. But experts believe that these figures do not paint a complete picture, and that does not necessarily mean that vaccines are unused.
“I know there’s a perception that the vaccine did not go out fast enough,” but that’s not the case, “said Thomas Dobbs, a Mississippi health official.
In a podcast with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Dobbs said Mississippi will soon not receive any more doses.
“Most of the doses we have given to health systems to distribute, and they are really starting to knock it out. I think we are not going to get any more vaccine any time soon, and there will be people who say, ‘It’s my turn now. Why can I not walk to the table? ” Dobbs said.
Health experts and federal officials have been saying for months that the initial COVID-19 vaccines will be scarce.
In the first two weeks after the vaccines received emergency approval, states administered hard enough. Now demand is higher, states have streamlined their administration systems and supply cannot keep up.
“States have made adjustments. They are going to open [eligibility] to more people. But, you know, its allocation is not increasing, which is why you are seeing states call for more doses, ‘said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers.
The number of vaccine doses sent has not changed much since the end of December. In the last days of the Trump administration, however, officials have recommended that the state be eligible for anyone over 65, as well as people under 65 with an existing condition.
These movements put even more pressure on the already limited supply of states.
States also said they would get double the number of new doses this week after Trump health officials said they would not stop firing more shots.
But that does not seem to be the case, as the government no longer has a stockpile.
Meanwhile, demand in some areas far exceeded supply. This week, the city of New York had to resume 23,000 appointments after the city’s supplies for first doses were depleted.
Mayor Bill de Blasio
Bill de BlasioFauci said the second COVID-19 vaccine shot suspended him for 24 hours in Ohio vaccine distributor in Ohio after he improperly stored 890 doses, and spoiled them. Amazon Offers to Help Biden Distribute Vaccines Pence Delivers Coronavirus Task Team Report MORE at Biden (D) sent a letter to Biden’s government on Friday asking for the flexibility to use the second dose offer to ‘bridge the gap after a period of increased production’ and to increase the number of first doses administered , to maximize.
In San Francisco, city officials were concerned about using their supplies, but were delayed at the last minute when the state allowed them to restart using a series of Modern vaccines that had been taken out of use for possible safety issues.
Yet health officials say they need more information from the federal government.
‘The unpredictable and erratic flow of vaccine to San Francisco makes it impossible for the city’s healthcare providers or [Department of Public Health] to plan properly, ”the city’s COVID Command Center said in a statement to The Hill.
Biden’s administration was praised for being more open about the challenges in fighting the coronavirus, but officials did not say how they could increase the vaccine supply.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Jen PsakiBiden under pressure to deliver more COVID-19 shots Biden, Trudeau agrees to meet next month Democrats seek answers over the impact of the Russian cyber attack on the Justice Department, courts MORE said Thursday that involvement with states and local officials will be a priority, but gives no examples of guidance going forward.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo Three national guards killed after a military helicopter crash in New York New York City rescheduled 23,000 vaccination appointments due to issues. Pence Delivers Coronavirus Task Force Report to Biden MORE (D) recently said the National Governors Association will meet weekly with Zients. They are still busy scheduling.