Federal delays in the distribution of Pfizer vaccines have left states wondering when to expect shipments as COVID cases increase nationally.
“I still can’t get a clear answer from the Trump administration as to why Michigan, like many other states, is receiving a fraction of the vaccines we would receive,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said at a news conference Friday.
Here’s what I’d ask if I could get them on the phone: Where are those doses? What is stopping them? When can we expect them? ‘ Whitmer said. “I am angry because this virus is raging in this country. And there is corruption or ineptitude that keeps us from saving lives and protecting people.”
The first doses of the vaccine were administered in the US on Monday; hundreds of thousands of frontline workers have been vaccinated. But states were told to expect a smaller distribution next week, with little explanation, and some states saw cuts of up to 40%.
“This is disturbing and frustrating,” Washington administration Jay Inslee tweeted this week. “We need accurate, predictable numbers to plan and ensure success on the ground.”
THE OPTICS OF GETTING THE COVID-19 VACCINE IN THE CAPITAL
Although government officials were frustrated with the reduction in expected vaccinations, Inslee explained on Twitter on Friday that General Gus Perna told the governor that “previous allocations were inadvertently based on vaccine doses produced,” but not all doses passed quality control.
President Trump has not commented on the delay in vaccine arrivals, but Perna, who is responsible for distribution logistics, apologized for the vaccine’s interruption during a meeting with reporters on Saturday.
“I’m the one who approved the forecast forms. I’m the one who approved the allocations,” he said. There is no problem with the process. There is no problem with the Pfizer vaccine. There is no problem with the Moderna vaccine.
‘I have failed. I adapt. I’m fixing it and we’ll move on from there. ‘
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The US has reported nearly 17.6 million cases of coronavirus, with more than 315,000 deaths since the pandemic began earlier this year.
The government estimates that 2.9 million people will have access to the first round of vaccination, representing less than 1% of the country’s population.