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The United States government announced on Wednesday a major plan to make COVID-19 vaccines available for free to the entire population when an effective and safe inoculation is developed, although a senior health official made it clear that there would not be a campaign to immunize millions of Americans until next year.
In a report to Congress and in a document with recommendations for state and local health agencies, the Department of Defense, and federal health agencies outlined complex plans for a vaccination campaign that would begin gradually later this year or in January, and that it would eventually be expanded to include anyone who wants to get vaccinated.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that in three to four weeks there would be a vaccine. But the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Robert Redfield, told Congress on Wednesday that it would take six to nine months to approve any vaccine for national distribution.
Redfield said that any vaccine that is available in November or December would have “very limited supplies” and would be reserved for emergency personnel and for those most vulnerable to COVID-19. The injection would not be widely available until spring or summer 2021, he estimated.
Redfield and other health officials who testified before the Senate Committee on Budget Appropriations also emphasized the effectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of the virus, since no vaccine protects 100%. The influenza vaccine, for example, is generally 40-60% effective against annual variants.
Redfield, who wore a mask during the hearing, said: “I could even say that this mask is a greater guarantee of protection against Covid than when receiving a vaccine.”
Trump has continued to downplay the effectiveness of the masks despite recommendations from the government’s own health experts, saying on Tuesday that waiters have had problems with their masks and don’t like wearing them.
The plan faces persistent skepticism. Only half of Americans would be vaccinated, according to a May Associated Press-NORC poll. To effectively protect the nation from the coronavirus, experts say that more than 70% of the population must be immunized.
Since May, questions have also increased about whether the administration is trying to rush treatments and vaccines to help President Trump in his re-election aspirations.
On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that designated official Michael Caputo would be taking a leave of absence. The news followed revelations that Caputo had tried to have editorial control of the CDC’s scientific publications on COVID-19, which he said were hurting the Trump administration.
Redfield said the “scientific integrity” of his agency’s reports “has not been compromised and will never be compromised under my command.” He also rejected the notion that the government’s schedule for states to be ready for vaccinations by November 1 was politically motivated.
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