Washington – Operation Warp Speed, the government’s vaccination initiative, advises clinics to manage Pfizer vaccine Elderly residents will have to wait until the end of this month to be vaccinated in long-term care facilities, although doses will arrive in all 50 states this week, although the CDC has recommended that the elderly be given priority as they are vulnerable to the corona virus.
CBS News has obtained two Operation Warp Speed documents prepared by the Department of Health and Human Services with guidance for CVS and Walcreens, pharmacy partners accused of vaccinating residents in long-term care facilities. HHS explicitly advises suppliers that “the program can only be run until December 21st”, which means that Pfizer will be vaccinated. The rate of infection in nursing homes has been increasing in recent weeks, causing costly delays.
In “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azhar Described It refused to delay the release date for this release and the long-term care facility in an attempt to “get ready-made vaccine”. Following the CBS News interview, HHS received documents stating the December 21 start date.
“We did not really ask Nursing Homes to wait. We were able to have a good discussion with the CVS leadership about this misunderstanding they had at the Presidential Vaccine Distribution Summit,” Azhar said, adding that vaccines can start “really any day” and Christmas for all nursing home residents. Can be vaccinated by.
Robert Garrett, CEO of Hokensock Meridian Health; The operator of one of New Jersey’s largest hospital systems confirmed in “Face the Nation” that the long-term care facilities his company operates were told to wait again this morning to vaccinate nursing home residents.
“I listened to the secretary’s interview, but the latest information I have received from CVS and Walcreens is that they will start in the 21st week,” Garrett said. The CDC recommends that it is not clear to him why the elderly should wait, and that the first group of recipients should be front-line health workers and long-term care residents.
“So I thought it would start all at once,” Garrett told Face the Nation. His hospitals expect to receive the vaccine dose on Monday, and plan to begin vaccinating front-line medical staff the next day.
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Godlip The delay was confirmed and said the reason for this was that nursing home residents or their families would have to approve the vaccine.
“It’s a very expensive delay [are] Now there are 50,000 new infections in nursing homes every week, and more than that. We know that 20% of infected nursing homes are infected. So, a lot of deaths happen in these nursing homes, ”he said in“ Face the Nation ”.
Godleaf, a former official in the Trump administration, now advises several governors, estimating it would take a week to get approval from patients. He also estimated that it would take a total of three weeks for nursing home residents to be vaccinated for CVS and Walkreens. He also serves on the board of directors of Godleaf Pfizer.
It is not clear why Operation Warp Speed was not arranged in advance to help get approval. Godlip said it should have been done ahead of time.
“I think they could have kept a fact sheet. They could have destroyed a fact sheet with the FDA and given nursing homes a limited emergency utility authorization to clear that information so they could formally admit patients it was not done,” he said. Godlip said.
CVS declined to comment on Azhar’s comments. Last month, Larry Merlow, CEO of CVS Health, “Face the Nation,” he said He expected the vaccination process to begin within 48 hours of receiving the vaccine. All 50 states are set to begin receiving vaccine levels on Monday.
The HHS document obtained by CBS News further states that the jurisdiction should select only one vaccine manufactured by Pfizer or Moderna. Those who choose the modern vaccine – which has not yet been approved by the FDA for emergency use – will not be able to be dispensed at the hospital until December 28.
Employees at those long-term care facilities can get vaccinated at on-site clinics. The HHS document is entitled “Draft – Pre-End and Deliberate”.