Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'I Can’t Tell You How Much Vaccine We Have,' CDC Director Reveals
CNBC: CDC Director Says Federal Government Does Not Know How Much Covid Vaccine The U.S. Has
The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Sunday that the federal government does not know how much coronavirus vaccine the nation has, a complication that adds to the already herculean task before the Biden administration. “I can’t tell you how much vaccine we have, and if I can’t tell it to you then I can’t tell it to the governors and I can’t tell it to the state health officials,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told “Fox News Sunday.” (Macias, 1/24)
Politico: Biden Health Officials Express Concern About Short-Term Vaccine Supply Crunch
Top Biden administration health officials on Sunday expressed concern about limited vaccine supplies but offered measured optimism that the worse-than-expected rollout would be improved, while warning that the current crunch for doses posed a pressing threat. “I think that the supply is probably going to be the most limiting constraint early on, and we’re really hoping that after that first hundred days we will have much more production,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on “Fox News Sunday.” (Naranjo, 1/24)
Boston Globe: US Officials Express Concern Over Possible Shortage Of COVID-19 Vaccine
The United States needs to move faster to immunize the public against the coronavirus, but efforts to accelerate beyond President Biden’s goal of 100 million shots in 100 days may be hindered by the lack of vaccine doses, according to Rochelle Walensky, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Four other Biden officials also tried on Sunday to manage public expectations about vaccine distribution, as frustration grows among Americans over long lines, canceled appointments, and other daunting issues. The officials also tried to smooth over confusion about President Biden’s goal of 100 million shots. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease specialist, called the figure “a floor, not a ceiling,” on the CBS program “Face the Nation.” (1/25)
The Washington Post: Vaccine Supply Hinders Expanding Beyond Goal Of 100 Million Shots, Biden Health Official Says
The United States needs to move faster to immunize the public against the coronavirus, but efforts to accelerate beyond President Biden’s goal of 100 million shots in 100 days may be hindered by the supplies of vaccine doses, according to Rochelle Walensky, the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “I think that the supply is probably going to be the most limiting constraint early on, and we’re really hoping that after that first 100 days, we’ll have much more production,” Walensky said on “Fox News Sunday.” (Goldstein, Wang, Firozi, Knowles and Kornfield, 1/24)
The Hill: Biden Under Pressure To Deliver More COVID-19 Shots
President Biden is facing pressure to aim even higher with his administration's vaccine distribution goals, with experts noting his early push to deliver 100 million shots in 100 days does not differ dramatically from the current pace. The new administration has trumpeted its vaccine goal as "ambitious" and "bold." But a vocal group of experts says Biden's goal is actually far less than what is needed to tame the pandemic, especially with more contagious variants on the rise. (Sullivan, 1/23)
And Pfizer is now shipping fewer doses —
Politico: Pfizer Ships Fewer Covid Vaccine Vials To U.S. After Trump FDA Label Change
Pfizer is counting extra coronavirus vaccine it uses to top off each of its vials toward its commitment to deliver 200 million shots for the U.S. pandemic response — even though there aren't enough syringes capable of squeezing out the extra fluid. The Trump administration Food and Drug Administration on Jan. 6 approved a Pfizer request to update its vaccine label to clarify that six doses, instead of five, can be drawn from each vial. The new label came several weeks after the agency said pharmacists could administer any surplus they could successfully extract from the vials. (Roubein and Owermohle, 1/22)
The Hill: Pfizer To Ship Fewer Vaccine Vials Than Expected After Extra Doses Discovered
Pfizer will be providing the U.S. with fewer overall COVID-19 vials than originally expected, after it was discovered that each vial contained more vaccine doses than initially thought, The New York Times reports. In December, it was determined that each vial of the pharmaceutical corporation's vaccine could provide six doses when properly extracted. Previously, it was thought that only five doses could come from each vial. (Polus, 1/22)
