Where is my chance? Why the rollout of the COVID vaccine is so challenging

Now playing:
Look at this:

How do I get the COVID-19 vaccine? Your questions answered

23:39

Like the corona pandemic rages around the world, a light shines at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines for COVID-19 have been shown to be very effective in protecting against serious illness and death, and will be the key to getting out of this global crisis.

But in the US, approval of vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna is only half the battle. Health officials still need to roll out these vaccines nationwide, distribute doses through a patchwork of various state and local health systems, and get shots in Americans’ arms as soon as possible.

Marcus Plescia is the chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the national organization that represents more than 100,000 public health officials in the US, as well as the agencies they work for.

Bringing the vaccine to Americans is a daunting task, according to Plescia, involving rural logistics and aging public health data systems. But while there are a number of factors hindering a rapid rollout, he says there is a major problem that hindered the early days of the vaccine program.

“The main sticking point in the vaccination effort right now is the delivery of the vaccine,” Plescia told CNET.

“We knew there was going to be limited supply to begin with … but I think a lot of people are losing sight of the fact that we only have 40 or 50 million doses at the moment, and we’ve already promised it for more people than that. “

One of the main pain points for Americans right now is figuring out when and where to get the vaccine. Some of that is due to the lack of available doses, but the scale of the rollout in 50 states has also caused problems.

According to Plescia, the federal government is responsible for sourcing the vaccine from suppliers and distributing those doses to the states. The states then decide who gets vaccinated and in what order (based largely on guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), before distributing doses to local health officials. Local health authorities must also be able to send information back to the chain about who is being vaccinated and where more doses are needed. But those public health data systems used to share that information aren’t as effective as they could be.

Add to that vaccines that require ultra-cold refrigeration and require two doses, and the roll-out has been slower than initially hoped.

But there are also some good signs. The Biden administration has increased its orders from Pfizer and Moderna, bringing the total to 600 million, and new vaccine candidates could soon be approved in the US.

“I think we should see significant changes by March, April,” said Plescia. “First of all, there should be a lot more Pfizer and Moderna vaccines available to humans. And then both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are about to submit their vaccines to the Food and Drug Administration for approval … moment I think everyone will realize that things are going to get better. “

Plescia shared more insights about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, including how states allocate vaccines and the best ways to find appointment information. You can see what he has to say in the video above.

What now is a series of video interviews with industry leaders, celebrities and influencers that covers trends affecting businesses and consumers in the ‘new normal’. There will always be change in our world and we will be here to discuss how to navigate all of this.

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health care practitioner if you have any questions about a medical condition or health goals.