CDC Notifies States, Large Cities To Prepare For Vaccine Distribution As Soon As Late October

[skeeter31]

Actually, when I posted that story from Tampa, I was wanting to point out the folly of having thousands of older folks lined up shoulder to shoulder outside vaccination centers. If they had not already been exposed, the situation in those photos looks like it would make sure of it.

As to priorities for older adults, I would say that I agree that those living in nursing homes/assisted living definitely should get priority, and probably also anyone with a chronic condition that often sends them to a doctor's office, but I'm not so sure about healthy retirees who still live independently. Society at large has a vested interest in getting the working-age healthy back to work if they have lost jobs due to the pandemic, and in protecting those who have higher-risk health conditions but must work in person in situations where they come into close contact with large numbers of people. (And yes, some teachers may fall into that category. That is not usually going to be the 22yo teacher; it would more often be the 55 yo teacher who is diabetic.)

I think that where it really gets complicated for Florida is service workers in the hospitality industries. You want to get them back to work so that they are not falling into dependent poverty, but OTOH, if you send them back to work to a business that has no customers because the customers cannot yet access the vaccine, what has been accomplished?

And just a head up on that story from Tampa. While the story was in the Tampa Bay Times, the pictures and most of the story was about the southeast coast of Florida, not about Tampa.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

What agenda? I've been pushing science and shutting down the crazy conspiracy theory folks.

Do it some other way. It's like you grabbed the first story of a recent well-known person's passing and went "see see" it's super disrespectful. Just reason with people a different way.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Do it some other way. It's like you grabbed the first story of a recent well-known person's passing and went "see see" it's super disrespectful. Just reason with people a different way.

Good point. I think that perhaps it will feel a bit more terrible when people are dying in the coming few months because vaccines are here, and we obviously don't have the ability to vaccinate everyone all at once. So, we should all prepare for those feelings. It's always darkest before the light.

 

[disneypharm]

Some good news from my state. Our governor just mentioned that we are moving to phase 1b, so all individuals over the age of 70, as well as grocery workers and other frontline workers, can get the vaccine starting tomorrow. I was just complaining yesterday that my elderly parents have to wait until Spring. Now they can both get the vaccine soon. So, I am sorry that I was too quick to criticize my state for a slow response. I think we are all anxious for things to change soon and watching the news constantly adds to our frustration. As some people have mentioned earlier, things will get faster as more people learn how to process and administer the vaccine. Now that my parents can get the vaccine soon, I am ok with waiting until my turn in Summer (hopefully sooner).

 

[okeydokey]

The people here declaring the rollout and vaccination process a disaster are the same people who were saying here a few months ago we were nowhere near having a vaccine.

The roll out has not been good. The logistics are difficult, but the execution of this should have been much, much better.

 

[godisney14]

I think most in the medical field think about more than just themselves. Otherwise they may have chosen different professions. I'm really a bit surprised to hear many, many are refusing.

Nothing surprising, really. Most are getting it. But, not 100% everyone.

 

[DLgal]

The people here declaring the rollout and vaccination process a disaster are the same people who were saying here a few months ago we were nowhere near having a vaccine.

I never said that.

The actual truth is that we have a military that is capable of handling this rollout and they SHOULD be the ones doing it. We literally have thousands of available medical servicemembers sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Why haven't they been mobilized and given this as their mission? They would get it done. If we can have our military distribute and administer vaccines for Ebola en masse in Africa, we can have them do the same here, very efficiently. My husband, a Marine officer, assumed this would be handled by the Army medical brigades, and he is shocked they are not the ones tasked to do it.

You cannot just send vaccines to states and make them figure it out. At this point, there is no reason to have unallocated vaccine doses sitting around in freezers. Shots should be in arms within a week of receipt by a state. Period.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Nothing surprising, really. Most are getting it. But, not 100% everyone.

I was referring to post that said "many, many" were declining the vax. I realize it's not 100% but believe it to be a high number. I was surprised to hear 60% of the nursing staff in Ohio is opting out. I sure hope they change their minds.

 

[Colleen27]

I never said that.

The actual truth is that we have a military that is capable of handling this rollout and they SHOULD be the ones doing it. We literally have thousands of available medical servicemembers sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Why haven't they been mobilized and given this as their mission? They would get it done. If we can have our military distribute and administer vaccines for Ebola en masse in Africa, we can have them do the same here, very efficiently. My husband, a Marine officer, assumed this would be handled by the Army medical brigades, and he is shocked they are not the ones tasked to do it.

You cannot just send vaccines to states and make them figure it out. At this point, there is no reason to have unallocated vaccine doses sitting around in freezers. Shots should be in arms within a week of receipt by a state. Period.

I'm a little surprised it isn't being done that way too. Our state has only administered about 20% of the doses that have shipped, so there's an awful lot of vaccine just sitting around waiting for a distribution plan even with the fact that the state hasn't gotten nearly the number of doses the feds initially told them to expect. The state's vaccination timeline is a reality check for anyone who was thinking we'd see anything like normal in 2021 - the plan is to get to herd immunity (70%) among the adult population by the end of the year, with lower-priority individuals not expected to have access until mid-year at the earliest.

 

[Pyotr]

And just a head up on that story from Tampa. While the story was in the Tampa Bay Times, the pictures and most of the story was about the southeast coast of Florida, not about Tampa.

Both Manatee and Sarasota had sign ups for the vaccine. I live in Manatee and was unable to sign my parents or in laws up before all the spots were full. We received 3,500 vaccines and our county has 100,000 residents that are 65+. More spots will open up Monday.

 

[Jonfw2]

I was referring to post that said "many, many" were declining the vax. I realize it's not 100% but believe it to be a high number. I was surprised to hear 60% of the nursing staff in Ohio is opting out. I sure hope they change their minds.

nursing HOME staff.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/politics/ohio-dewine-nursing-home-staff-vaccine.amp

 

[Praying Colonel]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1344647089121337345

 

[aggiedog]

The people here declaring the rollout and vaccination process a disaster are the same people who were saying here a few months ago we were nowhere near having a vaccine.

A disaster? No. Could have been far, far better? More organized, with national resources assisting? Yes, for sure.

 

[Jonfw2]

I’m getting vaxxed! The Moderna study will unnblinded starting January 5. You go in, get a nasal swab and antibody test, then they tell you whether you got the vaccine or the placebo. If you got the placebo you get vaxxed on the spot.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

With respects to the UK variant it had already been assumed to be in the U.S. I had read multiple stories last week that they were kinda thinking around mid-November. It just hadn't been genome sequenced yet. The CO case announced this week was the first scientific evidence of it having been found here but they assumed it had already made its way here.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

A disaster? No. Could have been far, far better? More organized, with national resources assisting? Yes, for sure.

I do think more guidance on HOW to do the process, not only the freezing if that's the continued storage but the thawing and then procedures for what to do in at least a few likely scenarios would have been good. You would not have had what happened in KY with the Walgreens and the LTC doses if that had been made more clear. On another thread it was brought up regarding improperly giving the vaccine as in the location. While I assume this honestly happens all the time, ensuring proper training for all giving the vaccines would have been good too.

I think a lot of what happened was we have this plan we have this plan we have this plan and then boom Pfizer gets approved for EUA and then Moderna soon after. It's like waiting for the unknown and then the unknown happens you just didn't actually have the time to think much beyond that.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Fauci is out today saying that they are considering vaccinating as many people as possible instead of holding back second doses. Scott Gottlieb is out this morning essentially saying....hurry up and get the vaccines in arms.

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news...s-12-31-20/h_a21743b742f36b26d5b6e8ccf7e0b9a1

https://twitter.com/x/status/1344643252989927426

 

[Jonfw2]

Fauci is out today saying that they are considering vaccinating as many people as possible instead of holding back second doses. Scott Gottlieb is out this morning essentially saying....hurry up and get the vaccines in arms.

https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news...s-12-31-20/h_a21743b742f36b26d5b6e8ccf7e0b9a1

https://twitter.com/x/status/1344643252989927426

Gottleib has said from day one that we should vaccinate as many as possible. Even some level of immunity in as many people as possible is better than what we're doing now.

 

[Praying Colonel]

The more transmissible variant (about 50% more transmissible) makes getting shots in arms even more important, IMHO. Hurry the heck up.

 

[dvcgirl67]

Gottleib has said from day one that we should vaccinate as many as possible. Even some level of immunity in as many people as possible is better than what we're doing now.

Yup. I think that letting perfect be the enemy of the good is a mistake as far as making sure every single person in group "1A" has had a shot. It seems there's growing concern because of the UK variant, which we know is here. Start vaccinating as many as possible. There has been some data that immunity from one shot is quite high.