Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Vaccinations Will Take Months, Biden Covid Task Force Warns At First Briefing
The Washington Post: At First Coronavirus Briefing, White House Acknowledges Vaccinations Will Take Months
The week-old Biden White House acknowledged Wednesday that most Americans will need to wait months to get vaccinated, as top officials launched regular briefings on their coronavirus response by seeking to illustrate their fidelity to science and transparency. Andy Slavitt, one of five senior officials who held the briefing, said that the administration is working to increase the availability of vaccinations “with incredible urgency and purpose” but that “it will be months before everyone who wants a vaccine can get one.” (Goldstein and Sun, 1/27)
Modern Healthcare: Biden Administration Warns Fully Meeting Vaccine Demand Could Take 'Months'
Members of the White House COVID-19 task force on Wednesday said the administration has reached its initial target of averaging 1 million vaccinations a day but warned it could take months before everyone who wants a vaccine can get one. In the first of the Biden administration's promised regular updates on the nation's pandemic response, Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the task force, said 47 million doses have been distributed to states and long-term care facilities. But only 24 million have been administered, while an estimated 3.4 million people have received their second dose. (Ross Johnson, 1/27)
The Washington Examiner: 'Every American Is Not Going To Be Eligible By Spring': White House Resists Coronavirus Herd Immunity Date
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday contradicted President Biden's assessment of when every person in the United States would be inoculated against the coronavirus. "Every American is not going to be eligible by spring," she said, offering a different view than the one her boss offered less than 24 hours before. On Monday, Biden predicted after an event rolling out his "Made in America" proposal that anyone who wished to have a COVID-19 vaccine would "be able to do that this spring." (Lim, 1/26)
In related news about Biden's vaccination plans —
FierceHealthcare: HHS Moves To Enable Recently Retired Doctors And Nurses To Deliver COVID-19 Vaccine
The Biden administration is moving to allow doctors and nurses that recently retired or are inactive to administer COVID-19 vaccinations as part of a broader strategy to ramp up vaccinations. The announcement was made Wednesday as part of a White House briefing on the state of the pandemic and efforts to increase the supplies of the vaccine. (King, 1/27)
FierceHealthcare: Docs Call On Biden To Include Medical Groups In COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
Medical practices are largely being left out of the COVID-19 vaccine efforts, a survey from the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) found. The survey, which reflected responses from 403 medical group practices, showed 85% of independent practices actively seeking the COVID-19 vaccine for their patients received some as of Jan. 21-24. Nearly half (45%) of hospital- or health system-owned practices seeking vaccines still hadn't gotten any. (Reed, 1/27)
Also —
The Washington Examiner: US Hits Trump Goal Of 20M Vaccinated A Month Late
Over 20 million Americans have now been vaccinated for the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That milestone was reached nearly a month late. On Dec. 9, then-Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said that 20 million people would be vaccinated by the end of 2020. (Hogberg, 1/27)
