The swift development of highly effective vaccines for the novel coronavirus was a marvel of modern science, holding out the prospect of an early end to a pandemic that has rampaged across the country. But creating vaccines is one thing; getting them administered is another. That part of the process is not a marvel but a muddle.
In mid-December, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that 20 million Americans would get shots by the end of the year. By Jan. 8, 21.4 million doses had been distributed, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — but only 5.9 million had been administered.
This sluggish rollout coincides with continued tragedy. Last week, for the first time, more than 4,000 people died on a single day. More than 360,000 deaths have occurred. And a new, more contagious strain of the virus that first appeared in Britain has been detected in at least eight U.S. states.
What’s holding up actual vaccinations? It’s hard to escape the conclusion that the federal government and state governments just failed to ramp up sufficiently for a mass inoculation program, which they knew was coming. With months to get ready — Pfizer reported the success of its vaccine trial on Nov. 9 — they seem to have been caught unprepared for the logistical challenges. Why didn’t federal and state officials create mass vaccination training programs? Call on the National Guard, retired medical personnel, college nursing students to administer shots? Open fieldhouses and park districts and stadiums for quicker, more efficient vaccinations? Is that wishful thinking?
This is a major challenge everywhere, not just in this country. France has managed to inoculate only 45,000 people, and the Netherlands didn’t even start until Jan. 6.
Planning was complicated in the U.S. by uncertainty about how many doses would be coming and when. The rollout unfortunately coincided with the December holidays, which slow almost every human activity. Unlike many vaccines, these are in limited supply. That being the case, states have targeted various groups in order of priority, with medical workers and nursing home residents and staff first in line.
Reaching a broader population won’t be simple. State and local governments need to be doing everything possible right now to shift into high gear.
On Jan. 8, President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team said that after taking office, he would release nearly all available vaccines instead of holding back enough for the required second dosages. He’s betting on producers being able to continually refill the pipeline. The fact that there are conflicting opinions about the optimum rollout isn’t reassuring, but if Biden is choosing urgency over prudence, that’s the right call. People are still getting sick and dying. The country can’t fully reopen the economy and send people back to work until the vaccine is broadly distributed.
As Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said, “This is a race to get vaccines in people’s arms as fast as possible.” It’s a race we can’t afford to lose.
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