Only about 2.6 million Americans had received a COVID-19 vaccine going into the final day of December, placing the United States far brief of the government’s target to vaccinate 20 million folks this month.
About 14 million doses of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines have been distributed to states so far, federal officials told reporters on Wednesday, shy of its target to ship 20 million doses this month.
As late as early December, officials maintained they would have 40 million doses obtainable this month, sufficient to vaccinate 20 million Americans with a two-dose regimen.
On December 4, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn told Reuters that vaccinating 20 million Americans by year-finish was realistic, based on the vaccination campaign.
Since then, officials have stated they are committed to creating sufficient doses obtainable devoid of commenting on targets for actual vaccinations as it has turn out to be clear that inoculations are falling brief of the quantity of doses distributed.
“The rapid availability and distribution of so many doses — with 20 million first doses allocated for distribution just 18 days after the first vaccine was granted emergency use authorization — is a testament to the success of Operation Warp Speed,” a US Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson stated in a statement. Doses that have been allocated but not distributed will ship in January.
The government has stated that for each and every dose shipped, it is maintaining a second dose in reserve as effectively as a security stock, which would bring the total quantity of vaccine doses closer to 40 million.
Even as the quantity of doses distributed neared the target of reaching 20 million folks, the pace of actual vaccinations has been far slower than anticipated, according to information released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The Federal Government has distributed the vaccines to the states. Now it is up to the states to administer. Get moving!” US President Donald Trump tweeted.
Local public heath officials told Reuters that the lack of federal funding for vaccine distribution has prevented them from hiring necessary employees.
“We know that it should be better and we are working hard to make it better,” Operation Warp Speed chief adviser Dr Moncef Slaoui stated on a media briefing.
US vaccinations of the country’s 21 million healthcare workers started on December 14. Inoculations of the country’s 3 million nursing household residents, who are also in the initially priority group, shortly followed.
Some 51 million US frontline critical workers, like fire fighters, police, and teachers, as effectively as folks more than 75 must be subsequent to get a vaccine, a CDC advisory panel has advisable.
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