US Ranks 32nd in the World in Per-Capita Vaccine Reservations
Trump Allowed Hundreds of Millions of American-Made Doses to Be Shipped Overseas
States Lack Funds for Vaccine Distribution as McConnell Obstructs Relief Package
Trump’s Virus Disinformation Fueling Public Mistrust In Vaccine
Vaccine distribution is beginning in the United States, but the coronavirus crisis is far from over. Almost 300,000 Americans have lost their lives, more than 16 million have been infected, and hospitals continue to face an unrelenting assault from a wave of critically ill patients. And though the distribution of the vaccine is welcome news, President Trump’s failure to ramp up supplies of doses, provide states with funding for distribution, and encourage public faith in the inoculation have put the United States at an unnecessary disadvantage in the battle against the pandemic — and ensured that this crisis will continue for months to come.
The Trump Administration Turned Down Millions of Additional Doses of Vaccine
- The Trump Administration Turned Down An Opportunity To Secure Between 100 Million And 500 Million Additional Doses Of The Pfizer Vaccine. “The government was in July given the option to request 100 million to 500 million additional doses. But despite repeated warnings from Pfizer officials that demand could vastly outstrip supply and amid urges to pre-order more doses, the Trump administration turned down the offer, according to several people familiar with the discussions.” [New York Times, 12/7/20]
- The United States Is Unlikely To Be Able To Acquire Additional Doses Of The Pfizer And Moderna Vaccines After Trump Allowed Supply To Be Sent Overseas. “The United States could be heading for a vaccine cliff this spring, with shortages forcing hundreds of millions of Americans to wait for shots amid intense global competition for limited doses. The Trump administration has bought 100 million doses each of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, but the U.S. is unlikely to get additional doses anytime soon because of strong international demand. And both vaccines require two doses per person, effectively halving the already scarce supply.” [Politico, 12/8/20]
- Bloomberg Analysis: “Thirty-One Countries Around The Globe Have Reserved More Covid-19 Vaccine Per Capita Than The U.S.” “Thirty-one countries around the globe have reserved more Covid-19 vaccine per capita than the U.S., according to a Bloomberg analysis of country vaccine agreements. The U.S. Operation Warp Speed program is credited with shaving years off the typical development timeline for vaccines that are now on the brink of being deployed. But after leading that effort, the U.S. has yet to exercise some options to lock down additional supplies that could offer extra insurance against manufacturing problems or scientific delays.” [Bloomberg, 12/9/20]
- Craig Garthwaite, Director Of The Program On Healthcare At Northwestern University’s Kellogg School Of Management: “On Any Dimension You Want To Talk About, It’s A Shocking Abdication Of Government Responsibility.” “‘On any dimension you want to talk about, it’s a shocking abdication of government responsibility,’ said Craig Garthwaite, the Director of the Program on Healthcare at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. ‘I’m so demoralized this will delay by another month or two getting the economy going.’” [Bloomberg, 12/9/20]
States Desperately Require More Funding to Distribute the Vaccine
- States Do Not Have Enough Funding For Vaccine Distribution — Even Though Distribution Will Cost Anywhere Between $6 Billion And $13.3 Billion, Only $340 Million Has Been Allocated Thus Far. “While the Trump administration has spent more than $10 billion supporting the development of COVID-19 vaccines, just $340 million has been allocated to agencies below the federal level to help with distribution efforts that will cost anywhere from $6 billion to $13.3 billion, according to various estimates. Health care workers, nursing home residents and other priority groups could be vaccinated as soon as this month, according to estimates by Trump officials. But the administration has not planned for the subsequent vaccination of hundreds of millions of Americans in the general population next year or how to pay for it.” [The Hill, 12/5/20]
- States Are Considering Cutting Funding From Other Areas — Like Education — To Pay For Vaccines, Supplies, And Distribution Amid A Lack Of Funding From The Federal Government. “State leaders say they are short billions of dollars in funding needed to successfully provide Covid-19 vaccinations to all Americans who want to be inoculated by health officials’ June goal… tate leaders say they must hire medical workers, provide community outreach and education, set up vaccination clinics and ensure storage capacity for vaccines. Some states are also concerned about having enough supplies, such as gloves and gowns, to protect health-care workers as well as people getting vaccinated. Officials in several states said they would spend whatever is needed to get residents vaccinated. Some said that might force spending cuts in areas like education, unless Congress provides additional funding or the federal government reimburses a large chunk of their rollout costs.” [Wall Street Journal, 12/13/20]
- About One Third Of States Are Concerned About Not Having Enough Supplies To Administer The Vaccine, And Might Be Forced To Bid Against One Another For Limited Resources. “‘This will not be a short-term operation,’ [Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania’s health secretary and president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers] said, adding that states also would face a challenge ‘in almost competing with each other for resources,’ as they did in the search for protective equipment in the spring. ‘It would be helpful if the federal government coordinated that and we didn’t have to bid against our sister states,’ she said… About one-third of states said they were ‘greatly’ or ‘completely’ concerned about having sufficient supplies to administer Covid-19 vaccines, according to a November report by the Government Accountability Office. The shortfalls and funding woes could slow the rapid pace of inoculations that health officials have said would be needed to reopen businesses and jump-start the economy.” [Wall Street Journal, 12/13/20]
- Senate Majority Leader McConnell Continues To Obstruct Coronavirus Relief — Including Funding For Vaccine Distribution — Over Special Legal Protections For Corporations And His Opposition To Desperately Needed State Aid. “An emerging $900 billion COVID-19 aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers all but collapsed Thursday after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Republican senators won’t support $160 billion in state and local funds as part of a potential trade-off in the deal. McConnell’s staff conveyed to top negotiators that the GOP leader sees no path to an agreement on a key aspect of the lawmakers’ existing proposal — a slimmed-down version of the liability shield he is seeking for companies and organizations facing potential COVID-19 lawsuits — in exchange for the state and local funds that Democrats want… The $900 billion-plus proposal provides sweeping new funds for vaccines, small businesses, health care providers, schools and families suffering from the virus crisis and the economic shutdowns.” [Associated Press, 12/10/20]
Alarming Lack of Faith in Vaccine After Trump Spent Months Attacking Science
- After Months Of Downplaying The Pandemic And Undercutting The Experts, The Trump Administration Is Starting A Final Hour Campaign To Restore Public Faith In The Vaccine. “The Trump administration, scrambling to make up for lost time after a halting start, is rushing to roll out a $250 million public education campaign to encourage Americans to take the coronavirus vaccine, which will reach the first patients in the United States this week. Federal officials acknowledge the effort will be a complicated one. It must compete with public doubt and mistrust of government programs amid deep political divisions created in part by a president who has spent much of the year belittling government scientists, promoting ineffective treatments and dismissing the seriousness of the pandemic.” [New York Times, 12/13/20]
- But Much Of The Damage Is Done: More Than 20 Percent Of Americans Do Not Intend To Get A Vaccine, And Say More Information Is Unlikely To Change Their Minds. “A majority of Americans — 60 percent — now say they will ‘definitely or probably’ get a coronavirus vaccine, according to a survey released this month by the Pew Research Center. But strong anti-vaccination sentiment remains: 21 percent of American adults do not intend to be vaccinated and are ‘pretty certain’ more information will not change their minds, the survey found.” [New York Times, 12/13/20]
- An October Survey By The American Nurses Association Found That Nearly 40 Percent Of Care-Workers Were Apprehensive About Taking A Vaccine, Saying They Were “Not Confident” That It Would Be Safe. “Even health care workers, who otherwise have among the highest rates of vaccine uptake, are apprehensive: In a survey in October by the American Nurses Foundation about a coronavirus vaccine, 37 percent said they were “not confident” that it would be safe and effective; 48 percent were ‘somewhat confident.’” [New York Times, 12/13/20]