The Trump administration will encourage states to expand access to Covid-19 vaccines as part of an effort to accelerate a hindered immunization campaign.
Health officials on Tuesday will push states to extend the availability of photos to anyone over the age of 65, regardless of the underlying conditions that could expose them to a higher risk of severe disease, and anyone older. 65-year-old with such a condition, said Jerome Adams, the American general surgeon in an interview with Fox & Friends.
Also, the US will not retain the second dose of vaccine to make more photos available immediately, according to the surgeon general.
“We have enough in store that we can only start pushing these doses there,” Adams said.
Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will send a letter to governors making recommendations on Tuesday, according to two U.S. officials who spoke before the decision was made public. The planned announcement first reported by Axios, follows the commitment of President-elect Joe Biden to release more available vaccine deals.
Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine development and distribution initiative, withheld a few doses of two-shot vaccines in an attempt to ensure that those who received one could receive the second.
Previously: Biden says he will release more vaccines in the secondary dose set
Biden’s office said last week it would not continue to reserve doses for the second shot in response to a slower-than-expected vaccination rate in the United States.
A government official said the federal government was also sending $ 3 billion to support the distribution of vaccines and provided technical assistance to help set up larger vaccination sites.
Read more: Vaccine launched in the US is injured by poor coordination, messaging
After developing Covid vaccines in record time, Warp Speed was criticized for a slow start in fire management. Meanwhile, inconsistent public health messaging, a maze of various state health strategies and new variants of the virus that could be more transmissible complicate the effort.
Growing vaccinations
However, the vaccination rate is increasing. The number of doses administered in the USA increased by 1.25 million months, a records daily earnings of 9.27 million, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.
Some governors have already chosen to open access to larger groups of people. For example, any resident of Georgia, Florida, Texas, Delaware or Ohio who is 65 years of age or older can sign up for a photo. But other states have more closely joined the recommendations made by a group of CDC advisers at the end of last year, which gives priority to front-line health workers as well as residents and staff of long-term care institutions. These the guidelines will not be changed, an official said.
The package of state rules has led to confusion about who is eligible to receive vaccines. While high demand has led to long lines and blocked meeting cards in some states, other states have struggled to take the photos they received from Operation Warp Speed.
As of Monday, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina had used only 20 percent to 30 percent of the doses shipped to them, according to Bloomberg vaccine tracker. At the same time, North and South Dakota, Connecticut and West Virginia moved about two-thirds of their stock.
The Pfizer vaccine is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration for use in people 16 years of age and older, while the Moderna vaccine is for people 18 years of age and older.
– With the assistance of Angelica LaVito, Drew Armstrong and Jordan Fabian
(Updates with additional details and context throughout)