US Begins Juggling And Rationing Scarce Covid Resources, Cash

Axios: America Begins Rationing COVID Resources
With existing pandemic funds dwindling and no new money from Congress in sight, the Biden administration is redistributing $10 billion from testing and other preparedness programs to ensure new COVID vaccines and existing treatments remain available this fall. With Congress unwilling to approve new spending, the White House is making tough choices to avoid being caught short if new, more dangerous COVID variants emerge. (Reed and Bettelheim, 6/9)

Bloomberg: US Reroutes Health-Program Money For New Covid Vaccine Orders
The Biden administration will scale back several health programs in an effort to scavenge enough money to buy next-generation Covid-19 vaccines, according to a White House official. Congress has for months refused the White House’s requests for billions of dollars in new funding to order vaccines tailored to boost protection against the highly transmissible omicron variant, as well as treatments and diagnostic tools. That’s left US pandemic-response leaders to scale back other Health and Human Services programs to buy new supplies to meet continuing pandemic needs. (Griffin and Wingrove, 6/8)

The New York Times: Aid Stalled, White House To Shift Testing Funds To Vaccines And Treatments 
White House officials said on Wednesday that they would have to repurpose federal Covid-19 funds meant for coronavirus tests and protective equipment in order to supply more antiviral pills and vaccines, after so far failing to persuade Congress to pass a new pandemic relief package. Roughly $10 billion from Department of Health and Human Services funds will be rerouted, around half of it to purchase vaccines for Americans ahead of a possible fall or winter wave of virus cases, when an updated shot may be needed, according to one White House official. The other half will go mostly to purchasing 10 million courses of Paxlovid, the antiviral treatment made by Pfizer that has been shown to substantially reduce the severity of Covid-19 in high-risk people, the official said. Around $300 million will be spent on another kind of treatment, monoclonal antibodies. (Weiland, 6/9)

In related news about covid costs —

Modern Healthcare: COVID-19 Test Demand A Boon For Labs, A Bane For Costs, Study Finds
Independent laboratories reap the benefits of lucrative COVID-19 tests and those costs may be boosting health insurance premiums and tax bills, according to a new study. Labs' revenue from polymerase chain reaction tests grew about 8% a month from May 2020 to December 2020, according to an analysis of Hawaii taxation data. Profits per PCR test were at least $10, but that is a conservative estimate, researchers wrote in a study to be published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine this week. (Kacik, 6/8)

And the White House details its distribution plan for under-5 vaccines—

The Hill: White House Unveils Plans To Roll Out COVID-19 Vaccines For Kids 5 And Under
Ten million pediatric COVID-19 vaccine doses will be available for states, Tribes and other jurisdictions to pre-order in anticipation of vaccinations for kids ages 5 and younger beginning before the end of the month, the White House announced Thursday. Administration officials outlining the plan said vaccines will be distributed across thousands of different sites, but they will put a focus on frontline providers like pediatricians and primary care doctors, as that is where they expect many families will want to go.  (Weixel, 6/9)

CNN: Biden Administration Lays Out Its Plan For Covid-19 Vaccinations For Children Under 5 
The White House is announcing a Covid-19 vaccine rollout plan Thursday for children under 5, partnering with state and local governments, health care providers, federal pharmacy partners, national and community-based organizations and other entities to ship and distribute vaccines across the country following next week's meeting of the FDA's vaccine advisers -- who will review data on these vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna -- and expected authorization from the full FDA. "As the (US Food and Drug Administration) and (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) conduct their independent review processes, the Biden Administration is planning for all scenarios, including for the first vaccinations to start as early as the week of June 20th —with the program ramping up over time as more doses are delivered and more appointments become available," the White House wrote in a fact sheet shared with CNN on Wednesday. (Judd, 6/9)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Prepares To Distribute Covid-19 Shots To Children Under 5 
The Biden administration is gearing up to roll out vaccines for children under age 5 in conjunction with educational and outreach efforts, if the shots are approved by federal regulators. Vaccinations for children under age 5 could begin as soon as June 21 if the shots from Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc. and partner BioNTech SE are authorized by the Food and Drug Administration. Ten million initial doses will be made available, senior administration officials said. (Armour, 6/9)

More on the vaccine rollout —

AP: New Vaccine May Be Option For Troops With Religious Concerns
A COVID-19 vaccine that could soon win federal approval may offer a boost for the U.S. military: an opportunity to get shots into some of the thousands of service members who have refused other coronavirus vaccines for religious reasons. At least 175 active duty and reserve service members have already received the Novavax vaccine, some even traveling overseas at their own expense to get it. The vaccine meets Defense Department requirements because it has the World Health Organization’s emergency use approval and is used in Europe and other regions. The Food and Drug Administration is considering giving it emergency use authorization in the U.S. (Baldor, 6/9)

CIDRAP: HIV May Predispose To Post-Vaccination COVID, Requiring Extra Doses 
The risk of COVID-19 infection after primary vaccination was 28% higher in adults diagnosed as having HIV, suggesting they may benefit from two additional doses, according to a US study published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. Johns Hopkins University researchers led a team assessing the risk of COVID-19 infection among 113,994 vaccinated patients—33,029 of whom had HIV and 80,965 who didn't—through Dec 31, 2021. (Van Beusekom, 6/8)