Where’s my lap? Why the deployment of COVID vaccine is so challenging

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How do I get the COVID-19 vaccine? Answer your questions

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Like the coronavirus pandemic around the world raging, a light shines at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines for COVID-19 have been shown to be very effective in protecting against serious illness and death, and this will be the key to getting out of this global crisis.

But in the US, the approval of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines is only half the battle. Health officials still need to spread these vaccines across the country, distribute doses through a patchwork combination of different state and local health systems, and to ensure that shots get into the arms of Americans as quickly as possible.

Marcus Plescia is the chief medical officer of the Association of Civil Servants and Territorial Health Officers, the national organization representing more than 100,000 U.S. public health officials, as well as the agencies they work for.

According to Plescia, issuing the vaccine to Americans is a big task, which includes nationwide logistics and outdated public health data systems. But while there are a number of factors getting in the way of a quick implementation, he says there is one major problem that hampered the early days of the vaccination program.

“The most important bottleneck at the moment with the vaccination is the provision of the vaccine,” Plescia told CNET.

‘We knew there would initially be limited supply … but I think a lot of people are losing the fact that we now only have 40 or 50 million doses, and we’ve already promised that to more people than that. ‘

One of the major pain points for Americans right now is working out when and where they can get the vaccine. Part of this is due to the lack of available doses, but the scale of implementation in 50 states has also caused problems.

According to Plescia, the federal government is responsible for buying the vaccine from suppliers and then distributing the doses to the states. The states then decide who is vaccinated and in what order (based primarily on guidelines provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) before distributing doses to local health officials. Local health authorities must also be able to send information in the chain about who is vaccinated and where more doses are needed. But the public health data systems used to share the information are not as effective as they could be.

Add to that vaccines that require ultra-cold cooling and the need for two doses, and the roll-out is slower than originally hoped.

But there are also good signs. The Biden administration has increased its orders from Pfizer and Moderna, bringing the total score to 600 million, and new vaccine candidates could soon be approved in the US.

“I think by March, April, we should see significant changes,” Plescia said. “First of all, there needs to be a lot more of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available to humans. And then both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are about to bring their vaccines before the Food and Drug Administration for approval … At that point, I think everyone will realize that things are going to get better. ‘

Plescia shared more insights on the rollout of COVID-19, including how states allocate vaccines, and the best ways to find information about appointments. You can see what he says in the video above.

Now what is a series of video interviews with industry leaders, celebrities and influencers that cover trends affecting businesses and consumers amidst the ‘new normal’. There will always be change in our world, and we will be here to discuss how you can navigate it all.

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a doctor or other qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions about a medical condition or health objectives.