United States Introduces Comprehensive Vaccine Plan, But Not a Quick Launch

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield holds up a CDC document that reads “COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Strategy Manual for Jurisdiction Operations” as he speaks appears on a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing on “Review of Coronavirus Response Efforts” on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik, Group)

WASHINGTON – The government outlined a comprehensive plan Wednesday to make COVID-19 vaccines available for free to all Americans when proven safe and effective, though a senior public health official made it clear that vaccination The spread of millions of Americans might not come until well into next year.

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 even later this year, And that will eventually increase to reach any American who wants a chance.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a vaccine could take between three and four weeks. But the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Congress Wednesday that it would take six to nine months after approval of any vaccine to distribute it nationally.

CDC Director Robert Redfield said that any vaccine available in November or December would have a “very limited supply” and would be reserved for first responders and 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 Appropriations Committee also emphasized the effectiveness of the masks in stopping the spread of the pandemic, given that no vaccine protects 100%.

The flu vaccine, for example, is generally 40-60% effective against the annual viral strain.

Redfield, masked in the courtroom, said: “I could even go as far as to say that this mask is more likely to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine.”

Trump has continued to downplay the effectiveness of the masks despite the recommendations of his own health experts, mentioning Tuesday that waiters have had problems with their face coverings and don’t like them.

The entire vaccine company faces ongoing skepticism. Only about half of Americans said they would get vaccinated in an Associated Press-NORC poll conducted in May. Since then, questions have only grown about whether the administration is trying to speed up treatments and vaccines to help Trump’s reelection chances.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that political appointee Michael Caputo would be taking leave to “focus on his health and the well-being of his family.” The news followed revelations that Caputo had attempted to gain editorial control over the CDC’s scientific publications on COVID-19, which he claimed were hurting the Trump administration.

Redfield said the “scientific integrity” of his agency’s reports “has not been compromised and will not be compromised under my supervision.” He also dismissed questions about whether the CDC’s schedule for states to be ready for a vaccine by November 1 was politically motivated.

“The worst that could happen is if we get a vaccine and we’re not ready to distribute it yet,” Redfield told Senate lawmakers. “There was absolutely no political thinking about it.”

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the committee’s top Democrat, said HHS’s political interference had damaged the public’s trust in government health information.

“The Trump administration must leave the science to the scientists immediately,” Murray said.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said during the campaign that he trusts what scientists say about a possible vaccine, but not Trump.
Biden has said that he would take a vaccine “tomorrow” if it were available, but would first want to “see what the scientists said.”
As for the planned vaccine campaign, Redfield said his agency will work with state health officials to implement preparations in the coming days.

Among the highlights of the plan:
– 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 and the focus will be on protecting healthcare workers, other essential employees, and people in vulnerable groups. A second and third phase would extend vaccination to the entire population.

– The vaccine itself will be free, thanks to billions of dollars in taxpayer funding approved by Congress and allocated by the Trump administration. The goal is for patients not to be charged separately for administering their vaccines, and officials say they are working to ensure that is the case for all Medicare beneficiaries and the uninsured, as well as those covered by insurance at their jobs.

– 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.

– It will take a massive information technology effort to track who gets what vaccines and when, and the key challenge is getting multiple public and private databases to link together.

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 done under the umbrella of Operation Warp Speed, an initiative backed by the White House to have vaccines ready to ship within 24 hours from the moment the Food and Drug Administration approves a version for emergency use.

However, public skepticism persists. Of the Americans who said in the AP May poll they would not get vaccinated, the overwhelming majority said they were concerned about safety. To effectively protect the nation from the coronavirus, experts say that between 70% and 90% of Americans must be vaccinated or have their own immunity to fight COVID-19.

As the public’s trust in health agencies has been hit, Trump administration officials have been forced to play defensively.
“We are dealing with a world of great uncertainty,” said Paul Mango, a senior HHS official working on the vaccine plan.

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