US - COVID-19 Vaccine Federal Reserve? Distribution issues? Or plenty delivered and more on the way? Each state is different.

[Mary Wilson]

January 15, 2021
Kevin Kunzmann

State and federal officials confirmed Friday that promise for a reserve supply of vaccines meant for second doses is actually unavailable.

A series of reports based on word from state and national officials Friday confirmed that a federal reserve of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine doses, promised for distribution earlier this week, does not currently exist.

A report from The Washington Post Friday morning confirmed that a supposed reserve of doses for COVID-19 vaccines BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273—stated by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, MD, to be in stock for the second-dose administration of prioritized recipients earlier this week—was actually distributed at the end of December.

... The matter of unavailable reserve vaccines—originally anticipated to be distributed to states in the same fashion as the first rounds of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine doses—was confirmed by officials including Governor Kate Brown, of Oregon, who shared via Twitter her discussion with Operation Warp Speed Chief Operation Officer Gen. Gustave F. Perna on the matter.

https://www.contagionlive.com/view/r...reserve-exists

 

[Mary Wilson]

Polis provides COVID-19 update after learning there's no national vaccine stockpile

Author: Janet Oravetz (9News)
Published: 9:20 AM MST January 15, 2021
Updated: 1:33 PM MST January 15, 2021

COLORADO, USA — Gov. Jared Polis (D-Colorado) said in a tweet Friday morning that "there is no national reserve" of the COVID-19 vaccine and said he was "shocked we were lied to" about the stockpile.

... Polis said he was assured those second doses would be delivered but they will come from the supply chain.

Polis said the news today was contrary to information he was given during a call several days and said the state believed they'd be getting 210,000 doses next week.

He said Colorado and other governors around the country made plans to ramp up distribution based on the announcement.

https://www.9news.com/article/news/...an-15/73-118c93fc-dd54-4cc8-a0e1-4a1b8585d26e

 

[Treyfish]

IMMEDIATE RELEASEStatement by Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller on Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Doses Delivered Today

JAN. 13, 2021

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Statement attributable to Acting Secretary Christopher Miller:

On behalf of Operation Warp Speed, I am proud to report that today, 1,463,900 additional vaccines were distributed to the American people. Today’s great work brings the total number of vaccine doses distributed to 29,107,500.
:tiphat:https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Re...fense-christopher-miller-on-operation-warp-s/

 

[Treyfish]

US shifts to speed COVID shots as cases and deaths rise

• By ZEKE MILLER and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press
• Jan 12, 2021 Updated Jan 14, 2021

...One change will have some teeth to it. Azar said going forward the federal government will base each state’s allocation of vaccines partly on how successful states have been in administering those already provided.

​
“If you are not using vaccines that you have the right to, then we should be rebalancing to states that are using that vaccine,” Azar said at news conference. That won’t happen overnight, not until officials try to sort out whether lags in reporting could be the reason for what appears to be subpar performance.

Azar also said the government will stop holding back the required second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, practically doubling supply. Both those shots require two doses to achieve optimum protection.

Additionally, Washington is urging states to immediately start vaccinating other groups lower down the priority scale, including people age 65 and older and younger people with certain health problems.

The move to increase the supply of vaccines better aligns the outgoing administration with the new Biden-Harris team. On Friday, President-elect Joe Biden said he will rapidly release most available vaccine doses to protect more people. He said he supported immediately releasing vaccines that health authorities were holding back out of caution, to guarantee they would be available for people needing their second dose.

“This next phase reflects the urgency of the situation,” said Azar. “Every vaccine dose sitting in a warehouse rather than going into an arm could mean one more death that could have been avoided.”

Initially the government had been holding back second doses as a safety precaution against potential shortfalls in production. Now, officials say they are confident the needed supply will be there. And people needing a second dose will have priority.
“This is not a supply issue at this moment in time,” Vice President Mike Pence told governors on a White House call. A recording was provided to The Associated Press.

Azar also gave states the green light to designate more places where people can get shots. Those locations can include tens of thousands of pharmacies, federally supported community health centers that serve low-income communities, and mass vaccination sites already being set up in some states.

The flurry of changes raised questions for some local officials, still trying to get their vaccination campaigns into full swing.

As of Monday morning, the government had distributed about 27.7 million doses to states, U.S. territories and major cities. But only about 9.3 million people had received their first shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s online tracker. That means only about 34 percent of the available vaccines had been administered....:tiphat:https://www.postandcourier.com/ap/u...cle_a5d86226-5516-11eb-a957-6f61fc69bbd7.html

 

[Treyfish]

By Associated Press
Published 33 minutes ago


.....Michael Pratt, a spokesman for the federal Department of Health and Human Services, said there may be confusion over expectations, but there has been no reduction in vaccine doses shipped to states.

“States are not seeing a reduction of anything,” Pratt said. “They may be seeing a reduction of expectations.”

As of Friday, the government had distributed over 31 million doses to states, U.S. territories and major cities. But only about 12.3 million doses had been administered, according to online tracking by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The two COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the U.S. — made by Pfizer and Moderna — are designed to be given in two doses, three or four weeks apart.

For weeks, Operation Warp Speed had been holding large amounts of vaccine in reserve to ensure that those who got their first dose received their second one on time. The practice was a hedge against possible manufacturing delays. When HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced on Tuesday that he was ending the practice, it was interpreted as essentially doubling the expected supply.

But there was another huge change: He also urged states to open vaccinations to everyone over 65 and those younger with certain health problems, even though most hadn’t yet finished all the health workers first in line or moved to the next tier, people 75 and older and other essential workers.

The result was a scramble by state and local health authorities to figure out exactly what amount of vaccine they would receive in coming weeks and how to more quickly ramp up mass vaccination plans for a public with higher expectations.

Pratt said doses that were being held in reserve to provide second shots were released last week. It’s unclear, however, if they all shipped prior to the Trump administration’s announcement early this week that states should open up vaccination to more people.

He said states are getting the required second doses they need and the number of first doses is stable.

Dr. Andrew Pavia of the University of Utah said one of the current problems “is the mismatch between demand and not just supply but knowing what the supply is.”
...:tiphat:https://www.tampabay.com/news/healt...on-in-states-over-federal-supply-of-vaccines/

 

[Treyfish]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement by Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller on Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Doses Delivered Today

JAN. 14, 2021

---

Statement attributable to Acting Secretary Christopher Miller:

On behalf of Operation Warp Speed, I am proud to report that today, 1,429,500 additional vaccines were distributed to the American people. Today’s great work brings the total number of vaccine doses distributed to 29,922,800.:tiphat:https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Re...fense-christopher-miller-on-operation-warp-s/

 

[Treyfish]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DOD Awards $69.3 Million Contract to CONTINUUS Pharmaceuticals to Develop US-based Continuous Manufacturing Capability for Critical Medicines

JAN. 15, 2021

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On Jan. 15, 2021, the Department of Defense (DoD), in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded a $69.3 million contract to CONTINUUS Pharmaceuticals Inc. to develop a domestic production capability for critical active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and final dosage form medicines using their proprietary integrated continuous manufacturing (ICM) technology. ICM enables rapid, on-demand production of medicines from API to final dosage form without interruption in a fully-automated, small-footprint facility.

This investment will enable CONTINUUS to commercialize its small-footprint, end-to-end pharmaceutical manufacturing technology. Critical APIs and their starting materials have long been sourced from overseas and this collaboration will onshore the production of three critical APIs and their final dosage forms. These medicines are currently used to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients. CONTINUUS’ proprietary technology will also enable the establishment of a new manufacturing logistics capability, allowing more efficient delivery of medical countermeasures in future healthcare crises.

The DoD’s Defense Assisted Acquisition (DA2) Cell led this effort in coordination with HHS. This effort was funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities (CARES) Act, to support critical technology development.:tiphat:https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Re...continuus-pharmaceuticals-to-develop-us-base/

 

[Mary Wilson]

And the plot thickens.

 

[sharon sanders]

Since each state is responsible for vaccine distribution there will be 50 different stories. It looks like some states do a better job than others.

For instance, there was some complaining about seniors waiting in long lines to get the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida. This is because hospitals with the super cold freezers conducted distribution by doctors on a "first come, first serve" basis. Of course, people got in line for this. Hence - the lines.


snip

The news comes as state officials announced a new statewide appointment system for COVID-19 vaccinations Officials believe the program will be ready within weeks but did not provide a specific start date.

The new site hopes to bring order to the chaos of Florida’s rollout of vaccines to its most vulnerable residents.

“I know it feels chaotic — 67 different counties, systems and interpretations — but health care is delivered at the local level,” Florida’s director of emergency management said Thursday.

He said a registration system could help alleviate the strain counties are now under as they deliver vaccinations.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is imploring people who are vaccinated to make sure they return for their second shot. State records show of the nearly 850,000 people who have received at least one shot, more than 40,000 are overdue for their booster shot.

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/l...shot-as-florida-reports-16500-new-infections/

 

[Mary Wilson]

Amid Alex Azar’s resignation, he admits there isn’t a reserve coronavirus vaccine stockpile

Posted at 7:08 PM, Jan 15, 2021
and last updated 9:08 PM, Jan 15, 2021
Justin Boggs

As copies of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s resignation letter was published online on Friday, Azar conceded in an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt that there is not a reserve coronavirus vaccine stockpile.

Earlier this week, the federal government announced that coronavirus vaccine doses would begin being distributed as soon as they were ready.

... (Colorado Gov. Jared Polis) ... “I’m shocked we were lied to and there is no national reserve,” he said. “Federal announcements that 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] dose being held in reserve was going to be released led us to expect 210,000 doses next week, other Govs made similar plans. Now we find out we’ll only get 79,000 next week.”

https://www.10news.com/news/nationa...-isnt-a-reserve-coronavirus-vaccine-stockpile

 

[Mary Wilson]

NYC to Begin Closing Vaccine Sites Thursday Without Resupply

January 19, 2021, 9:46 AM CST Updated on January 19, 2021, 10:47 AM CST
By Henry Goldman

New York City will have to close vaccination sites after Thursday if it doesn’t get a major resupply, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The city wants to vaccinate 300,000 people this week but has only about 92,000 doses, de Blasio said in a Tuesday briefing. More than 450,000 doses have been in administered in the city.

The mayor said official tallies that show more ample supplies are flawed, and that in fact a crisis impends.

“At this rate, we will run out on Thursday and hit zero on Friday,” de Blasio said. “We will not be able to give shots at a lot of our sites. We won’t get shots until next week.”

... The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended expanding eligibility to more than 7 million New Yorkers from 5 million “practically overnight,” Cuomo said Monday in a letter to Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla. At the same time, the CDC hasn’t increased -- and in some cases reduced -- the supply to states. New York will get 250,000 doses this week, 50,000 fewer than last week. At that rate, inoculating those eligible would take seven months, Cuomo said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...osing-vaccine-sites-thursday-without-resupply