Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sluggish Vaccination Pipeline Plagued By Tracking, Distribution Challenges
Bloomberg: $44 Million Vaccine System From CDC Gets Few Users Among States
A $44 million software system supplied for free to states by the U.S. government to help track Covid-19 vaccinations is only being used by nine states, with Virginia transitioning out and Connecticut exploring alternatives. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contracted with Deloitte & Touche LLP for the system last spring. Called VAMS, short for Vaccine Administration Management System, it was billed by the CDC as an “easy-to-use, secure, online tool to manage vaccine administration from the time the vaccine arrives at a clinic to when it is administered to a recipient.” (LaVito, 1/28)
The Hill: FEMA Asks Pentagon For Help Administering COVID-19 Vaccines
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has asked the Pentagon to assist with President Biden's goal to vaccinate 100 million people against the coronavirus in his first 100 days in office, the Department of Defense's (DOD) top spokesman said Thursday. (Mitchell, 1/28)
Modern Healthcare: HHS Allows More Healthcare Providers To Administer COVID-19 Vaccines
HHS on Thursday made moves to rapidly grow the vaccination workforce and increase the public's access to COVID-19 vaccinations. Under the amendment to the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act), all licensed and certified healthcare professionals are now authorized to prescribe, dispense and administer COVID-19 vaccines in any state or U.S. territory after completing the CDC's COVID-19 vaccine training, regardless of where they are licensed or certified. (Christ, 1/28)
In related news about the vaccine supply —
AP: EXPLAINER: Why It's Hard To Make Vaccines And Boost Supplies
Production depends on enough raw materials. Pfizer and Moderna insist they have reliable suppliers. Even so, a U.S. government spokesman said logistics experts are working directly with vaccine makers to anticipate and solve any bottlenecks that arise. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel acknowledges that challenges remain. With shifts running 24/7, if on any given day “there’s one raw material missing, we cannot start making products and that capacity will be lost forever because we cannot make it up,” he recently told investors. (Neergaard, 1/28)
