The advisers of President-elect Joe Biden have been developing plans to speed up COVID-19 vaccine distribution. One idea the transition team has announced is to release available doses immediately rather than holding back half to ensure second doses are available. While this could potentially delay some people from getting a second dose, the risk is worth it.
Americans have been warned this summer there will be a vaccine shortage. Health care officials were instructed to abide by a strict prioritization schedule and this created a “shortage mentality” that’s slowed the distribution of available vaccines. Of the 30.6 million doses of coronavirus vaccine distributed to health care facilities thus far, an abysmal 36 percent — about 11.1 million — have been administered. Releasing all available doses will help expedite this process.
To meet his goal of administering 100 million vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office, Biden will need to do more than releasing all available doses. Hospitals are already overwhelmed with a surge in coronavirus cases and have limited capacity to administer vaccines. With little federal support, overworked and under-resourced public health departments have been slow to deliver vaccines.
So how does Biden accomplish this important goal?
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Follow Arielle Kane on Twitter @ariellesophia for daily updates and takes on U.S. health care policy.
