States, provinces and cities say coronavirus vaccines are running out, leading to canceled or delayed appointments for thousands, even as the country tries to ramp up the pace of vaccinations.
Health officials are desperate for clarity from the federal government on vaccine shipping, saying they need accurate numbers to plan weeks in advance.
Instead, the numbers only came in a week at a time and were inconsistent.
The Biden government has pledged to work with states to improve communications, but it is currently struggling to find out how much vaccine is available.
“Allocation and delivery are critical areas that we unfortunately did not have much insight into,” Jeff Zients
Jeff ZientsBiden Under Pressure To Deliver More COVID-19 Shots Fauci: We’re Not Starting Vaccines ‘From Scratch’ These are the executive orders Biden signed in the first three days at the office MORE, President Biden’s COVID-19 coordinator told reporters.
We will work to make predictions about the supply. We hear again and again from governors and local leaders that they just don’t know what’s coming and that they can’t plan. about what’s going on, make sure we communicate with states and places so they can prepare effectively, ”Zients added.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states administered just 47 percent of the nearly 40 million doses delivered. But experts say those numbers don’t paint a complete picture, and they don’t necessarily mean vaccines go unused.
“I know there is a perception that the vaccine was not secreted quickly enough,” but that is not the case, said Thomas Dobbs of Mississippi State.
Speaking on a podcast with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Dobbs said Mississippi will soon be out of doses.
“Most of the doses we’ve been giving health systems to distribute, and they’re really starting to divide it up. I think we’ll run out of vaccine soon, and there will be people who say, ‘Now it’s my turn. not go to the table? ” said Dobbs.
Health experts and federal officials have said for months that the first COVID-19 vaccines would be scarce.
In the first two weeks after the vaccines received an emergency permit, states had a hard time administering them quickly enough. Now demand is greater, states have streamlined their administration systems and supply cannot keep up.
States have made adjustments. They open up [eligibility] for more people. But you know, their allocation isn’t increasing, so that’s why you see states clamoring for more doses, ”said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers.
The number of vaccine doses sent has not changed much since the end of December. However, in the closing days of the Trump administration, officials recommended opening states to anyone over the age of 65, as well as those under the age of 65 with a pre-existing condition.
Those steps put even more pressure on states’ already limited supplies.
States also thought they would get double the number of new doses this week after Trump health officials said they would no longer hold back booster shots.
But that turned out not to be the case, as the government was out of stock.
Meanwhile, in some areas, demand has far outstripped supply. This week, New York City had to reschedule 23,000 appointments after the city’s offer for the first doses ran out.
mayor Bill de Blasio
Bill de BlasioFauci said the second injection of the COVID-19 vaccine knocked him out for 24 hours. Ohio vaccine distributor suspended after improper storage, spoiling 890 doses. Nighttime Health Care: Biden Signs First Executive Actions As President | Amazon offers to help Biden distribute vaccines | Pence delivers report of the coronavirus task force to Biden MORE (D) sent a letter to Biden’s administration on Friday asking for the flexibility to use the stock of second doses to “bridge the gap to a time of increased production” and maximize the number of first doses delivered.
In San Francisco, city officials worried about depletion of their supplies, but were given a last-minute reprieve when the state allowed them to continue using a batch of Moderna vaccines that had been decommissioned due to potential safety concerns.
Still, health officials say they need more information from the federal government.
“The unpredictable and erratic flow of vaccines in San Francisco makes it impossible for the city’s or health care providers [Department of Public Health] to plan properly, ”the city’s COVID Command Center said in a statement to The Hill.
The Biden government has been lauded for being more open about the challenges in fighting the coronavirus, but officials have not clarified how to increase the vaccine supply.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki
Jen Psaki Biden Under Pressure To Get More COVID-19 Shots Biden, Trudeau Agree To Meet Next Month Democrats Seek Answers On The Impact Of Russian Cyber Attack On Justice, Courts MORE said on Thursday that engagement with states and local officials will be a priority, but did not provide examples of guidance in the future.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo Three National Guardsmen Killed After Military Helicopter Crash in New York New York City Resists 23,000 Vaccination Appointments Due to Supply Problems Pence Delivers Coronavirus Task Force Report to Biden MORE (D) recently said the National Governors Association will hold weekly meetings with Zients. They are still working out the planning.