The Trump administration will encourage states to expand access to Covid-19 vaccines as part of an effort to accelerate a stumbling vaccination campaign.
Health officials on Tuesday will urge states to extend the availability of shots to anyone over the age of 65, regardless of the underlying conditions that could put them at greater risk of serious illness, and to anyone under the age of 65. this condition, said American general surgeon Jerome Adams. in an interview with Fox & Friends.
According to the surgeon general, the US will also stop withholding the second doses of the vaccine in order to have more shots immediately.
“We have enough reserve to start pushing those doses,” Adams said.
Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will send a letter to governors making recommendations on Tuesday, according to two U.S. officials who spoke before the decision was made public. The planned announcement, first according to Axios, it follows the commitment of President-elect Joe Biden to release more of the available vaccine.
Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine development and distribution initiative, had withheld some doses of two-shot vaccines to try to ensure those who received them could get the second one.
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The Biden office said last week that it would not continue to reserve doses for second shots in response to the slower vaccination rate than anticipated in the U.S.
An administration official said the federal government is also sending $ 3 billion to support the distribution of vaccines and that it has been offering technical assistance to help establish larger vaccination sites.
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After developing Covid vaccines in record time, Warp Speed has been criticized for a slow start in firing administration. Meanwhile, inconsistent public health messages, a maze of different state health strategies, and new variants of the virus that may be more transmissible complicate the effort.
Increased vaccinations
However, the vaccination rate is increasing. The US-administered dose count rose 1.25 million on Monday, a it records a daily gain of up to $ 9.27 million, according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker.
Some governors have already opted to open access to wider groups of people. For example, any resident of Georgia, Florida, Texas, Delaware, or Ohio who is 65 or older can sign up for a shot. But other states have more closely adhered to recommendations made by a group of CDC advisers late last year that prioritize front-line health workers and residents and care center staff. long term. Those the guidelines will not be changed, an official said.
The mosaic of state regulations has caused confusion about who is eligible to receive vaccines. While high demand has led to long queues and clogged citation books in some states, other states have struggled to deploy the shots they have received from Operation Warp Speed.
As of Monday, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina had used only 20% to 30% of the doses sent to them, according to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker. At the same time, North and South Dakota, Connecticut and West Virginia have accounted for about two-thirds of their stock.
The Pfizer vaccine is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for use in people over 16 years of age, while the Modern vaccine is for people over 18 years of age.
– With the assistance of Angelica LaVito, Drew Armstrong and Jordan Fabian
(Updates with additional details and context everywhere)