On Tuesday, President Joe Biden is speaking on vaccine updates from the White House. He will set out the ways to reach the goal of returning to pre-pandemic life. The aim is to vaccinate 70 percent of Americans adults with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by July 4, to celebrate Independence Day similar to celebrations that took place before the coronavirus entered the world. His address to the nation comes at a time where there is a slowdown in the rollout of the shots.

A senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday that a 70 percent vaccine rate in the nation would decrease both infections and   hospitalizations. While speaking to states earlier in the day the White House had indicated that unordered vaccine supplies by states will be routed to other states who are looking for supplies. This is the first time that there has been a policy change in the distribution of vaccines across the nation.

Unordered doses will be deposited in a federal bank every week. States who are looking for additional supplies can withdraw extra doses from this unused supply. This measure has been put in place after some states have not used their quota, while others have been asking for more doses of the vaccine to be distributed in their states.

Earlier vaccines that were not picked up by states used to remain week after week, unused. Now states that have used their vaccine share can order up to 50 percent additional doses. However, no state will be penalized, nor will states be considered as losers if they don’t want to take the vaccines in a given week.

Earlier doses were allocated on a population basis with 80 percent of the doses to be made available for the state’s population and 20 percent could be reallocated as per need but now pharmacies can reallocate more doses where needed and this allocation could reach up to 49 percent.

After Tuesday’s updates, by the White House and Biden, states which have less vaccine hesitancy and those who had asked for additional doses due to high infection rates can get extra COVID-19 vaccines. This change in policy is also good for those states who ask for lesser allocations as the reasons for lower supplies included not only vaccine hesitancy but also logistics as state freezers have been full due to lesser uptakes of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Photo Credit-Department of Defense
U.S. Secretary of Defense

Source:   Washington Post

Source: Washington Post