In response to today’s news that the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization of the Pfizer vaccine and that Americans will begin receiving the vaccine, Protect Our Care’s Coronavirus War Room Director Zac Petkanas released the following statement:
“Today’s announcement that the FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer vaccine means that American frontline workers and vulnerable populations will begin receiving the vaccine within days.
“Unfortunately, there is a dark cloud hanging over this announcement and the pandemic’s end may be unnecessarily delayed.
“Donald Trump’s failure to offer an effective vaccine distribution plan, his indefensible decision to pass on purchasing hundreds of millions of additional vaccine doses that have since been spoken for by other countries, and his political interference in the vaccine research and production process all will delay the day this vaccine is distributed widely enough to protect every single American.
“In other words, hundreds of millions of Americans will be unnecessarily denied this life-saving vaccine for months, resulting in additional deaths and unnecessary illness that will last longer, well past when he is forced to leave office next month.
“Today’s announcement is a historic and commendable achievement. Unfortunately, like everything else he touched, Donald Trump’s staining influence will dampen it.”
Background on how Trump failed to prepare the United States for vaccine distribution:
- 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]
- 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]
- 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]
- Rena Conti, Boston University Health Economist: “A Spectacular Failure” If The US Missed Out On Doses Of Vaccine Because The Government Declined Them. “If the U.S. did miss out on more doses because it declined them, it would be ‘a spectacular failure,’ said Rena Conti, a health economist at Boston University. ‘Contracts are forward-looking, that means we could have (and did) sign contracts with other manufacturers that reserve future capacity when it became available,’ she said. ‘We should have [been] including language in every contract reserving the rights to more quantity in advance at a given price.’” [NPR, 12/10/20]