Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Will End Policy Of Holding Back Vaccine Supply For Second Doses
AP: With Virus Surging, Biden To Speed Release Of COVID Vaccines
With COVID-19 surging and vaccinations off to a slow start, President-elect Joe Biden will rapidly release most available vaccine doses to protect more people, his office said Friday, a reversal of Trump administration policies. “The president-elect believes we must accelerate distribution of the vaccine while continuing to ensure the Americans who need it most get it as soon as possible,” spokesman T.J. Ducklo said in a statement. Biden “supports releasing available doses immediately, and believes the government should stop holding back vaccine supply so we can get more shots in Americans’ arms now.” (Alonso-Zaldivar and Miller, 1/8)
CNN: Biden Will Release Nearly All Available Vaccine Doses In Break From Trump Administration Policy Of Holding Back Stock For Second Dose
President-elect Joe Biden will aim to release nearly every available dose of the coronavirus vaccine when he takes office, a break with the Trump administration's strategy of holding back half of US vaccine production to ensure second doses are available. Releasing nearly all vaccine doses on hand could quickly ratchet up the availability of coronavirus vaccines by allowing more people access to a first dose. It could also be a risky strategy as both Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna's vaccines require two doses, administered at specific intervals, and vaccine manufacturing has not ramped up as rapidly as many experts had hoped. (Murray, 1/8)
The Washington Post: Biden Plans To Release Nearly All Available Vaccine Doses To Speed Inoculations
A Biden transition official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to reveal greater detail than the public statement, said the Biden team has “faith in our manufacturers that they can produce enough vaccines to ensure people can get their second dose in a timely manner.” In addition, the official said, the incoming administration will, if necessary, make greater use of the Defense Production Act, a law that gives the government powers to step up manufacturing during wars and other emergencies. (Goldstein, McGinley, Stanley-Becker and Nirappil, 1/8)
Also —
The Washington Post: As Biden Promises To Hurry Vaccines, A British Experiment Could Be A Test Case
Faced with soaring hospitalizations and deaths, Britain is launching a daring campaign to combat a ferociously infectious variant of the coronavirus by spacing the first and second doses of approved vaccines out over months instead of weeks. The full vaccine deployment plan will be published by the government Monday, but the difficult decision to alter the recommended vaccination schedules will apply to the entire population, including the elderly and health-care workers. (Booth, 1/9)
Yahoo News: Experts Express Concern About Biden's Plan To Release Nearly All Available Vaccine Doses
President-elect Joe Biden plans to release nearly every available dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines when he takes office later this month rather than holding back millions of second doses, his transition team said Friday. The decision is meant to "ensure the Americans who need it most get it as soon as possible. "The Trump administration has insisted it's necessary to retain second doses, with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Friday expressing concern that Biden's plan could backfire if there are any manufacturing mishaps. (O'Donnell, 1/9)
Politico: Tensions Grow On Biden's Team Over Odds Of Making Vaccination Goal
President-elect Joe Biden has grown frustrated with the team in charge of plotting his coronavirus response, amid rising concerns that his administration will fall short of its promise of 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days, according to people familiar with the conversations. Biden has expressed criticism on multiple occasions to groups of transition officials — including one confrontation where Biden conveyed to Covid coordinator Jeff Zients and his deputy, Natalie Quillian, that their team was underperforming. (Cancryn and Pager, 1/11)
