The Trump administration will not meet its goal of administering 20 million coronavirus vaccinations by the end of the year.
“We certainly are not at the numbers we wanted to be at the end of December,” said top government infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci Tuesday.
A nationwide tally from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that roughly 2 million doses of vaccines have been administered in the United States since the massive rollout initiative began on Dec. 14, though Trump administration officials argued Monday that the true number is likely a multiple of that figure, given the lag time between administering vaccines and reporting them to the CDC.
Trump administration officials told reporters in early December that there will be enough vaccines to immunize 30 million more people in January, followed by another 50 million people immunized by the end of February.
“I believe that as we get into January, we are going to see an increase in the momentum, which, I hope, allows us to catch up to the projected pace that we had spoken about a month or two ago, when we were talking about the planned rollout of the vaccinations,” Fauci added.
In the first week of vaccine distribution, states reported that they would not be receiving the number of doses they had been promised by the federal government. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, for example, said on Dec. 17 that the CDC would cut vaccine allocation to the state by 40% the following week, calling the change “disruptive and frustrating.”
Health officials in Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, and Michigan also said that week that they were expecting a reduction in the number of doses they were initially promised.
Gen. Gus Perna, chief operating officer of the administration’s vaccine initiative Operation Warp Speed, apologized for the “miscommunication” with governors. He said a few days later on a call with reporters that officials in OWS “feel strongly that we will have allocated to the states by the end of the year 20 million doses of vaccine that’ll be available.”
“We feel confident that we will be distributing the end part of that vaccine no later than the first week in January for everybody to have access to,” Perna added.
The administration said in early December that as many as 100 million people could be inoculated by the end of February, constituting most of the vulnerable population.
To date, roughly 19.5 million cases and about 337,000 deaths due to COVID-19 have been confirmed in the U.S.
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service is facing immense stress after another day of record coronavirus cases.
On Tuesday, the U.K. recorded 53,135 new COVID-19 cases and 414 more deaths.
Some of the cases may be due to a reporting lag during the Christmas season. However, there has been a “real increase” in cases, according to Public Health England.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the NHS was facing “unprecedented pressure.” He added in a tweet, “We must suppress this virus to protect our NHS & save lives until the vaccine can keep us safe.”
Hospitals in England and Wales have more COVID-19 patients now than during the first wave in April, according to the BBC.
Colorado officials confirmed the first known case in the U.S. of the new coronavirus mutation that has spread rapidly across the U.K. State public health officials said the patient is a male in his 20s who has not traveled recently to a place where he may have been exposed to the mutated virus, which is thought to be more contagious.
“The individual is recovering in isolation and will remain there until cleared by public health officials,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday, adding that the patient “has no close contacts identified so far but public health officials are working to identify other potential cases and contacts through thorough contact tracing interviews.”
Some congressional staffers will be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine designated for “critical” employees.
Congress’s attending physician said late on Monday that two staffers in each House member’s and senator’s offices may receive the vaccine, according to Politico. Four staffers of each committee chairman or chairwoman and each ranking committee member may also receive the vaccine.
“Employees who occupy positions determined to make them eligible for the vaccine under these standards will be and/or have been notified of their status separately and provided with logistical information regarding the process for scheduling an appointment for the vaccination,” Dr. Brian Monahan said in the memo to lawmakers.
Monahan added that the first wave of vaccines is meant for those whose jobs are deemed essential for “continuity of operations” or require physical presence and in-person interactions.
Senate Republicans Tuesday blocked a bipartisan measure passed in the House Monday that would increase a new round of relief checks from $600 to $2,000 in an unusual, post-Christmas floor session convened to override President Trump’s veto of a critical defense bill. The Senate GOP will not support a new spending bill that would add $464 billion to the $900 billion package.
Some GOP senators point out that the money is not targeted to the unemployed, but rather, it is sent to anyone earning below $75,000, including those who have not lost their jobs during the pandemic. Others cited the nation’s enormous deficit.
On Tuesday, the greater Washington, D.C., area saw its highest number of coronavirus deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. The region reported 126 new deaths. The previous high of 124 occurred on Dec. 15.
Maryland reported 63 new deaths, Virginia 59, and the District of Columbia four. That is the second-highest total to date for Virginia. The Virginia Department of Health said the state’s count was partially due to deaths during the holidays that were not counted until Monday.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said on Monday that Congress could have done more for individuals and businesses in the coronavirus relief package signed by Trump on Sunday.
WorkForce West Virginia, which handles unemployment claims, will hold off on implementing the additional federal unemployment benefits until the state receives guidance from the federal government.
“As we always have been, we are all in, and will be a leader in turning this legislation into resources for West Virginia,” Justice said.
