The Trump administration is changing the way coronavirus vaccines are assigned to states, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said Tuesday.
Instead of distributing vaccines based on population, the administration will allocate doses based on how quickly the vaccines can be administered, as well as the size of the population over 65, Azar said.
States will have two weeks to prepare for the change, Azar said, which should give them time to improve their reports to a federal database.
Azar indicated that some of the current slowness is the result of data information problems, and the change in the allocation method will encourage them to solve these problems.
“This new system provides states with a strong incentive to ensure that all vaccinations are reported quickly, which they currently are not,” Azar told reporters during a press conference.
“It gives states a strong incentive to ensure that doses work by protecting people instead of sitting on shelves or in freezers,” he added.
The policy change would reward states that inoculate people quickly and comes when senior government officials have complained about the slow pace of vaccinations.
Azar said states ’rigid adherence to eligibility criteria has resulted in a bottleneck. The administration’s Operation Warp Speed has made nearly 25 million first doses available over the past month, but just over 9 million people have been vaccinated.
“We need doses where they are administered quickly and where they protect the most vulnerable,” Azar said.
To this end, the administration also pushes states to shoot anyone 65 years of age or older, regardless of the underlying health conditions, as well as anyone under the age of 65 who has an underlying condition. The administration will also release second doses of the vaccines it had been reserving, in an effort to double the number of doses available.
Director of disease control and prevention centers Robert Redfield
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“It’s going to be a tough January and probably February, but with a vaccine and the new therapeutics we have, there’s a lot of light at the end of this tunnel when we enter March,” Redfield said. “We really need to commit to vaccinating as many Americans as we can, who are particularly the most vulnerable and at risk of hospitalization.”
But current Trump officials will stop being there in two weeks and it’s unclear if Biden’s incoming administration supports that change. Azar said Operation Wap Speed had not yet spoken to the transition team about the change.
“While we will certainly inform the Biden team about these changes, we operate as you know, with one government at a time, and that is the approach we believe best fulfills the mission and current situation we face today.” said Azar said.
A spokesman for Biden’s transition did not respond to any requests for comment.
If implemented, the policy change could add even more headaches to state and local officials who are already struggling with what they say are inadequate federal government resources and communication.
Ultimately, it is up to the rulers, state and local officials to decide who is eligible to receive the vaccine in their state. Many states are already receiving initial CDC recommendations on prioritization, but the updated recommendations could make statewide distribution a free one for everyone.