New CDC director Joe Biden said Thursday that COVID-19 vaccines will not be as available as the flu shot in mid-February, a promise made by Trump Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar last month past, and that the release will take much longer.
In statements today, Dr. Rochelle Walensky could not give a date for when the vaccines would be available in pharmacies and said the new administration must put “the pedal to the metal” to get them to the north. Americans faster.
So far it has been the responsibility of states to distribute the vaccine themselves. Massachusetts says it will start putting vaccines in some pharmacies next week, but it is far from common in the United States.
Most states continue to pave the way for their first vaccine groups: people over 65 and people with underlying health problems.
There is already a shortage and delays. California does not believe it will finish vaccinating this group until June. All vaccination appointments in New York City scheduled for today and Sunday have also been postponed for a week.
The Biden administration says fighting COVID-19 is its top priority and the president has promised to vaccinate 100 million Americans in his first 100 days in office.
They have made general promises to increase the distribution of vaccines by launching large-scale vaccination sites at places like Yankee Stadium and hiring medical students, military, retired doctors and nurses to do the shooting.
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In statements today, Dr. Rochelle Walensky could not give a date for when the vaccines would be available in pharmacies and said the new administration must put “the pedal to the metal” to get them to the north. Americans faster
Biden will also order manufacturers to produce syringes, needles, masks or any of the missing items and that can slow down the Defense Production Act’s effort.
Officials say the Trump administration had no clear plan and that they have had to start from “first place.”
Walensky on Thursday was unable to give a clear timeline on when the vaccine will be available at CVS and Walgreen stores across the country, but said it will not be in February.
‘Will it be in all pharmacies in this country according to this chronology? I do not think so.
“And as I said at the beginning, here I will tell you the truth.”
‘I don’t think by the end of February we will be getting vaccines at all the pharmacies in this country.
“We said 100 million doses in: the first in 100 days and we will stick to that plan.
“But I also want to be very aware of the fact that after 100 days there are still a lot of Americans who need a vaccine.”
He said a key part of the plan will be the use of new vaccines that will have to be approved.
So far, only Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been approved in the US.
AstraZeneca’s has been approved in the UK, but not yet in America.
According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Johnson & Johnson will review their vaccine data during the “week or so.”
“The more vaccines we have that have FDA approval, the better we will be in shape,” Dr. Walensky said.
He also said they had started working on how to speed up vaccine production, but would not give a timeline for when it would start happening faster.
“There are numerous plans, as we think ahead, on how we will vaccinate people,” he said, adding that they need to balance “the amount of vaccine we have by the number of eligible people, so no” I don’t have vaccine on the shelves, and yet I don’t see the images in those long lines. ”
“We need to make sure that there are enough vaccinators, that we have commissioned medical corps, that we have military doctors, that we have retirees, medical and nursing students who are about to graduate, dentists and veterinarians, in order to be out there to vaccinate the public, ”he said.
Asked if she knew when it would happen, she said, “We are working to answer the questions. We are on the second day in the driver’s seat.
“But we understand that exactly; right now, I think we still have a vaccine on the shelves that we need to introduce to people.”
The US has vaccinated only 5.2% of its population, while Israel has vaccinated 32% of its population
On Dec. 14, Trump’s HHS secretary Alex Azar said vaccines would be as available as the flu shot in mid-February.
On Wednesday, Biden vaccination coordinator Bechara Choucair outlined his plan in a call with reporters.
“First, we will create as many places as possible to vaccinate people,” he said.
The eagerness to reach 100 million would still be less than what many experts say is needed to achieve “herd immunity,” but the administration believes it will slow the spread considerably and begin to reduce infections.
“It’s an ambitious but achievable goal … but only the beginning,” Jeffrey Zients, Biden’s new COVID tsar, said in a press conference Wednesday.
An order would direct agencies to “exercise all appropriate authority,” including the Defense Production Act, “to expedite manufacturing, delivery, and administration to address deficiencies in equipment and supplies needed for response. of the COVID-19 “.
Another would push FEMA reimbursement rates to help states respond. Another order aims to expand the supply of tests and increase access to tests, with the aim of getting people back to work and reopening schools.
Another would try to ensure that drug studies “meet the needs of diverse populations.”
Part of Biden’s plan is to use large-scale venues like Yankee Stadium as vaccination centers
Larger studies are already trying to examine the effects on different minority groups. Some localities have already experienced disparities in the communities receiving the vaccine.
An executive order in the Departments of Education and Health and Services will tell them to provide guidance on reopening schools “so that state and local officials have metrics to inform decision-making.” The administration wants most schools to open in 100 days.
A new testing board will have the task of developing a “clear and unified approach” to testing.
The administration also plans to provide more information to the public, with regular briefings of public health officials, after the Trump Administration first launched and then withdrew briefings from the coronavirus working group.
Zients said the team he oversees will try to restore trust with the American people.
The United States continues to control the pandemic, with the highest number of daily deaths