The rapid creation of Covid-19 vaccines was a triumph. So why does it take so long to vaccinate Americans?
The response begins with tens of millions of doses of the Covid-19 vaccine that went unused in medical freezers in the United States in the first weeks of launch.
At launch, the federal government set aside far more doses for nursing homes than the facilities needed. A fragmented chain of communication between federal dose-sending authorities and local sites that eventually injected them left vaccinators in the dark about the number of patients they could schedule. Concerned about the limited supply, some hospitals and health departments have held back doses to make sure they have enough to administer the second vaccine to staff or meet appointments, creating a blockage at the exit.
Vaccinations are rising now. But early stumbling blocks could spread the pandemic and leave more people unprotected. Health officials say new coronavirus variants that appear to be spreading more easily make the distribution of vaccines more urgent.
The Trump administration has invested heavily in the rapid development of vaccines, but has left the last mile to get gunfire to states and localities. This approach has led to multiple, sometimes contradictory, systems, and has failed to ensure that local sites have the information on vaccine shipments they need to manage fires quickly.