The Trump administration will encourage states to widen access to Covid-19 vaccines as part of an effort to hasten a stumbling immunization campaign.
Health officials will push states on Tuesday to expand the availability of the shots to anyone over the age of 65, regardless of underlying conditions that may put them at greater risk for serious illness, and anyone under 65 with such a condition, said the American surgeon general Jerome Adams. in an interview with Fox & Friends.
The US will also stop withholding second doses of the vaccine from making more injections available immediately, according to the Surgeon General.
“We have enough reserve to just get those doses out,” Adams said.
Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will send a letter to governors Tuesday with the recommendations, according to two US officials who spoke before the decision was made public. First the planned announcement reported by Axios, follows President-elect Joe Biden’s promise to release more of the available vaccine stockpile.
Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine development and distribution initiative, had withheld some doses of the bipartisan vaccines to ensure those who got one can get their second.
Previously: Biden says he will release more vaccine in a second dose gamble
Biden’s office said last week it would not continue to reserve doses for second injections in response to the slower-than-expected rate of vaccination in the US.
A government official said the federal government is also sending $ 3 billion to support vaccine distribution and has offered technical assistance to help set up larger vaccination centers.
Read more: Vaccine rollout in US hurt by lack of coordination, messaging
After developing Covid vaccines in record time, Warp Speed has been criticized for a slow start in giving injections. Meanwhile, inconsistent public health reports, a maze of different state health strategies and new variants of the virus that may be more transmissible complicate the effort.
Vaccinations are on the rise
Nevertheless, vaccination coverage is improving. The number of doses administered in the US rose 1.25 million on Monday record daily profit, up to 9.27 million, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.
Some administrators have already chosen 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 apply for a shot. But other states have better adhered to the recommendations of a panel of CDC advisers late last year that prioritize primary care health workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities. That guidelines will not be changed, an official said.
The patchwork of state rules has created confusion about who is eligible for vaccines. While high demand has led to long lines and clogged appointment books in some states, other states are struggling to deploy the shots they received from Operation Warp Speed.
According to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina had used only 20% to 30% of the doses sent to them since Monday. At the same time, North and South Dakota, Connecticut, and West Virginia have seized about two-thirds of their supplies.
The Pfizer vaccine is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in persons 16 years of age and older, while the Moderna vaccine is for persons 18 years of age and older.
– With help from Angelica LaVito, Drew Armstrong and Jordan Fabian
(Updates with additional details and context throughout)