Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Preparations For Vaccine Distribution Begun
CNN: US Coronavirus: Officials Aiming To Have Covid-19 Vaccine Administered Within 96 Hours Of Authorization
Covid-19 vaccines will be distributed to vulnerable populations within days of an emergency use authorization (EUA), an official said, as the US wrestles with an all-time high of daily new cases. "We will start to have shots in arms within 96 hours of EUA," Gen. Gustave Perna, chief operating officer of Operation Warp Speed, said Tuesday. "That's what I believe with all my heart." (Holcombe, 12/9)
USA Today: Operation Warp Speed: What We Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Five percent of all produced COVID-19 vaccine will be held back for emergencies and states will have the option of trading vials within the government's ordering system to get the kind they want. Those are just a few of the details we're learning about how the vaccine will move around the nation as distribution comes closer, potentially as early as Friday or Saturday. Paul Ostrowski, who leads supply, production and distribution for the federal government's Operation Warp Speed, walked USA TODAY through the process. (Weise, 12/8)
Politico: U.S. Could Face Months Of Vaccine Shortages Amid Global Competition
The United States could be heading for a vaccine cliff this spring, with shortages forcing hundreds of millions of Americans to wait for shots amid intense global competition for limited doses. The Trump administration has bought 100 million doses each of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, but the U.S. is unlikely to get additional doses anytime soon because of strong international demand. And both vaccines require two doses per person, effectively halving the already scarce supply. (Owermohle, 12/8)
Bloomberg: With Freezers In Tow, U.S. Employers Rush To Fill Vaccine Void
As U.S. health authorities near emergency approvals for the first Covid-19 vaccines, companies are taking some of the first concrete steps to prepare for the unprecedented and complex task of distributing hundreds of millions of doses to the American workforce. Ford Motor Co. has procured deep-freezers to store vaccines at some of its factories. Sanderson Farms Inc., a top poultry producer, will administer vaccines to employees at health clinics erected at its facilities, and the CEO pledges to get inoculated on video to encourage workers to do the same. Activision Blizzard Inc. plans to cover vaccination costs for employees and their immediate families. Several industries are lobbying to get their workers near the front of the line after the first doses go to health-care workers and nursing home residents. (Beene and Hirtzer, 12/9)
Also —
The Hill: Pentagon Draft List Prioritizes Medical Personnel, Senior Leaders In Vaccine Rollout: Report
The Pentagon has a draft list of the first groups set to receive a coronavirus vaccine, with health care workers in the lead, followed by and top Pentagon leaders and military units, CNN reported. The Department of Defense (DOD) has released few details on when a COVID-19 vaccine would be distributed among service members. (Mitchell, 12/8)
Stateline: Health Care Workers Can Decline A COVID-19 Shot For Now
Millions of health care workers are slated to receive the first batch of potentially lifesaving COVID-19 vaccines by the end of this month. But not all of them want to be first in line. Only one-third of a panel of 13,000 nurses said they would voluntarily take a vaccine, another third said they wouldn’t and the rest said they were unsure, according to a late October survey by the American Nurses Association. (Vestal, 12/8)
Boston Globe: CVS, Walgreens Hiring Thousands Of Workers In Advance Of The COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout
To prepare for the nationwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, Rhode Island-based CVS Health Corp. and Illinois-based Walgreens are hiring workers by the thousands. In an e-mail to some customers over the weekend, CVS said it is “urgently” looking to bolster its workforce so it can distribute vaccines to the public when they are available. A page on its website details the hiring push for what it calls the “COVID-19 Vaccine Support Team,” comprised of pharmacists, nurses and pharmacy technicians that will help administer “millions of vaccines in 2021. (Gardizy, 12/8)
The Washington Post: Here’s Were Pfizer Coronavirus Vaccine Could Go Ahead Of More Doses For United States
The European Union and Japan have both staked claim to an even larger portion of Pfizer doses than the United States has, and Americans will have to wait as those countries receive shares of their initial orders while supplies remain limited. But as a wealthy country with a large number of orders in place and good cold storage infrastructure, the United States is still near the top of the global vaccine pecking order, while some poor countries could have to wait until 2024 to offer vaccines to their entire populations, according to one study. (Rauhala, 12/8)
