WASHINGTON The federal government outlined a comprehensive plan Wednesday to make COVID-19 vaccines available for free to all Americans, even as polls show a strong undercurrent of skepticism sweeping across the country.
In a report to Congress and an accompanying “playbook” for states and localities, federal health agencies and the Department of Defense outlined complex plans for a vaccination campaign that would begin gradually in January or possibly later this year, And that will eventually increase to reach any American who wants an injection. The Pentagon is involved in the distribution of vaccines, but civilian health workers will be the ones to give the injections.
The campaign is “much larger in scope and complexity than seasonal influenza or other vaccination responses related to previous outbreaks,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention manual for states said.
Among the highlights:
– For most vaccines, people will need two doses, 21 to 28 days apart. Double-dose vaccines must come from the same drug manufacturer. There could be several vaccines from different manufacturers approved and available.
– The vaccination of the American population will not be a sprint but a marathon. Initially, there may be a limited supply of vaccines available, and the focus will be on protecting healthcare workers, other essential employees, and people in vulnerable groups. CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the National Academy of Medicine, and other organizations are working on priorities for the first phase. A second and third phase would expand vaccination throughout the country.
– The vaccine itself will be free and patients will not have to pay out of pocket for the administration of injections, thanks to billions of dollars in taxpayer funds approved by Congress and allocated by the Trump administration.
– States and local communities must design precise plans to receive and distribute vaccines locally, some of which will require special handling, such as refrigeration or freezing. States and cities have one month to submit plans.
Some of the general components of the federal plan have already been discussed, but Wednesday’s reports attempt to put the key details into a comprehensive framework. The distribution is taking place under the umbrella of Operation Warp Speed, an initiative backed by the White House to have millions of doses ready to ship once a vaccine is administered, which is expected to be an emergency use approval by part of the Food and Drug Administration. Several formulations are undergoing final testing.
But the entire company faces public skepticism. Only about half of Americans said they would get vaccinated in an Associated Press poll in May. Of those who did not get vaccinated, the vast majority said they were concerned about safety. To effectively protect the nation from the coronavirus, experts say that more than 70% of Americans must be vaccinated or have their own immunity to fight COVID-19.
Since the survey, questions have only grown about whether the administration is trying to speed up COVID-19 treatments and vaccines to help President Donald Trump’s chances of reelection.
Before the Republican National Convention in August, the FDA granted authorization for the treatment of COVID-19 patients with plasma from people who have recovered, although some government scientists weren’t convinced that the clinical evidence was strong enough. And last week it was reported that Michael Caputo, a politician appointee with the Department of Health and Human Services, sought editorial control over a weekly scientific publication from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As the public’s trust in major health agencies has suffered, Trump administration officials have been forced to play defensively.
“We are working closely with our state and local public health partners … to ensure that Americans can receive the vaccine as soon as possible and vaccinate with confidence,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement Wednesday. . “Americans should know that the vaccine development process is being driven entirely by science and data.”
That could be hard to sell. In the AP poll, 1 in 5 Americans said they would not receive a coronavirus vaccine, and 31% said they were unsure.
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