Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
On Day 2 Of Vaccinations, Hundreds More Hospitals To Receive Shipments
AP: US Vaccinations Ramp Up As Feds Weigh 2nd COVID-19 Shot
Hundreds more U.S. hospitals will begin vaccinating their workers Tuesday as federal health officials review a second COVID-19 shot needed to boost the nation’s largest vaccination campaign. Packed in dry ice to stay at ultra-frozen temperatures, shipments of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine are set to arrive at 400 additional hospitals and other distribution sites, one day after the nation’s death toll surpassed a staggering 300,000. The first 3 million shots are being strictly rationed to front-line health workers and elder-care patients, with hundreds of millions more shots needed over the coming months to protect most Americans. (Perrone, 12/15)
NPR: Millions More COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Are On The Way, U.S. Officials Say
At least 55 immunization sites across the U.S. received doses of Pfizer and BioNTech's long-awaited vaccine Monday morning, says Army Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed. The effort to get the vaccine into medical professionals' hands, he said, has gone "incredibly well." Perna credited a number of people for the success, from volunteers who helped to test the vaccine to those who worked over the weekend to prepare, ship and deliver the doses, which must be stored at very cold temperatures to remain viable. (Chappell, 12/14)
Politico: Senate Democrats Press Trump On Possible Vaccine Shortage
Senate Democrats are pressing the Trump administration to explain whether the United States could soon face a critical shortage of Covid-19 vaccine doses, citing recent reports that the White House passed on Pfizer’s repeated offers to purchase additional shots. "We are concerned the failure to secure an adequate supply of vaccines will needlessly prolong the COVID-19 pandemic in this country, causing further loss of life and economic devastation," a group of senior lawmakers wrote to leaders of Operation Warp Speed, the government’s vaccine accelerator, in a letter shared with POLITICO. (Diamond, 12/14)
The Hill: Pfizer Negotiating With Trump Administration For Additional 100M COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Next Year
Pfizer is negotiating with the Trump administration to deliver 100 million additional doses of its coronavirus vaccine next year, the company's CEO said Monday, but nothing has been agreed to yet. During an interview with CNN's Sanjay Gupta, Albert Bourla said Pfizer will be able to deliver that amount, but they are still working out the timeline with the administration. (Weixel, 12/14)
In updates from other vaccine makers —
Politico: 2 More Vaccine Developers Could Seek FDA's Green Light By February
The Trump administration anticipates two more vaccine developers could seek FDA authorization for their shots by the end of February. That would mean the U.S. would have four Covid-19 vaccines available — including the first vaccine to only require one shot — to meet its goal of immunizing 100 million people by the end of March. (Roubein, 12/14)
Also —
The Wall Street Journal: Getting Covid Vaccines To People Will Cost States Billions They Don’t Have
State leaders say they are short billions of dollars in funding needed to successfully provide Covid-19 vaccinations to all Americans who want to be inoculated by health officials’ June goal. The federal government is providing the vaccine, along with syringes, needles, face masks and shields. But state leaders say they must hire medical workers, provide community outreach and education, set up vaccination clinics and ensure storage capacity for vaccines. Some states are also concerned about having enough supplies, such as gloves and gowns, to protect health-care workers as well as people getting vaccinated. (Armour and Calvert, 12/13)
Fox News: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Complexity Lies In Packaging, Not Storage Requirements, Azar Says
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the complexity associated with Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine is not the sub-freezing storage requirements, but instead the large volume of 975 doses per package. Azar told reporters on a call Monday that the media frequently questions Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine’s ultra-low cold chain. The vaccine must be stored at temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 F) or below. To handle that issue, and others that might arise during transportation, Pfizer has specially designed temperature-controlled thermal shippers using dry ice to maintain that temperature. Also, the containers will use GPS-enabled thermal sensors with control towers to track the location and temperature of each vaccine shipment. (Rivas, 12/14)
