Now that nearly half of the US population could be eligible for coronavirus vaccines, America is facing the problem that experts thought we would always have: Demand for the vaccine outstrips supply.
Why it matters: The Trump administration’s call for states to grant access to vaccines to all Americans 65 and older and adults with pre-existing conditions may have helped clear some bottlenecks in the distribution process, but it has also led to a different kind of chaos.
The big picture: The US has still only delivered about 14.7 million injections per Bloomberg, which is well behind the 20 million doses expected by the end of December. Almost half of the divided doses have been given.
- Vaccine providers adhered too strictly to prioritization guidelines, experts said, prompting the administration to issue its new guidelines.
- But the process has also grappled with the complicated logistics of a large-scale vaccine distribution program, and getting more people eligible for the injections does not solve problems such as a shortage of vaccinators.
What is going on: We knew all along that vaccines could only be produced, distributed and administered at a limited pace. We are now seeing those limitations play out in real time.
- Americans who qualify for the vaccine cannot get appointments because all of the available slots are full almost immediately after they open.
- In some places, where vaccines are administered on a first-come, first-served basis, people have lined up for hours – or even overnight – to get an injection.
- New York website said last week that all vaccination appointments are booked for the next 14 weeks. Although 7 million New Yorkers are eligible, the state only receives 300,000 vaccine doses per week from the federal government.
The Shift in Federal Guidance was announced along with the Trump administration’s decision to stop withholding second vaccine doses and instead distribute all available shots to states.
- But the government had already started doing so, the Washington Post reported, meaning no additional reserve of vaccine doses need to be shipped.
It comes down to: The supply of vaccines would always be our biggest problem in the coming months. What we have underestimated are the logistical challenges that have unfolded in recent weeks.