Except that is only true where it is true and in some places that is the case but not all. The reality seems to be that we are encountering vaccine reluctance among even health care workers and that was largely unanticipated and many hospitals or distribution centers did not and do not have a plan B or people on call to fill in for a no-shows. There are LOTS of people who do want the vaccine. The priority system is supposed to be about prioritizing competing demands, not about preventing people from getting it. DUH!!!!! The other issue- and this is major- is that the states and locals have had conflicting or restrictive information about how much vaccine must be kept on hand for second doses when giving first doses. Or to what extent can they rely on future supplies without withholding parts of a previous shipment. The smart states- having followed the feds guidelines and ended out with wasted vaccine- are adopting Plan B's right off. Some of that has been sloppy whereby if a medical care worker does not take it or enough do not they have just given it to anyone else who was nearby and wanted it. Which is okay but not as good as getting it to another priority group. In the meantime, there are people who need it. And too bad there cannot be a registry where an eligible person donate theirs to those who are needy. Y'all know my view that there are hotspots that do not qualify in first rounds but a few hundred vaccines would be do a lot of good. Among those to be considered, let us not be like the Canadians and forget our indigenous peoples. As I said, sometimes a few hundred people voluntarily contributing AND THEN REDIRECTING their prioritized vaccine could do a lot of good. Unlike this bullshit that is going on now where hospital administrators are hogging vaccine just because they are classified as medical worker. https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/202...a-has-northwest-alaska-village-on-high-alert/ COVID-19 outbreak in Kivalina has Northwest Alaska village on high alert At least 10% of the population of the community of Kivalina tested positive for COVID-19 this week as elevated case levels continue around Western Alaska. Tribal officials have started water deliveries to home-bound Kivalina residents to stave off additional spread of the virus.
Seeing the long lines for vaccines in some states.... and that 100% of available appointment slots are taken in states.... I don't think "vaccine reluctance" is an issue at this point. It is all distribution issues at this point.
Don Jr. selling them to various distro networks. See your local corner boy or personal connect for the vaccine. Fair warning: prices are kinda high right now.
The country is wall to wall with articles of vaccine reluctance being a problem. Showing up at nursing homes and only half the people will take it. so on and so forth. Firefighting units offering prizes to take the vaccine. Google up as many articles as you need to see. As I have said, the number who want to take it is vast but getting past the priority system which includes people who do not want to take it but have vaccines committed to them is a problem. I get that you are working an agenda where all problems must- according to your agenda- be related to the distribution system not having been turned over to the military and that keeping everything at the fed level is the solution but the direction/constraints by the non-trump feds, cdc advisory committee, fda, etc are driving a lot of the states nuts and having to figure out how to function. I get it though. Military uniforms for all and army tents in the local parks giving people shots and it will all be working just like clockwork as in Germany. OR NOT. And as I said, many states are purposely sabotaging the distribution so that it can suddenly surge after the inauguration. Oregon is one where I posted an article. Haven't distributed shiite. It will go through the roof after the inauguration. Guaranteed. Good news, everyone. Your vaccine is ready.
So let's take look at one of the worst states with distribution - Florida. Where there are long lines of seniors, all the phone lines and websites for appointments are down, etc. Do you think the DeSantis administration in Florida is "purposely sabotaging the distribution so that it can suddenly surge after the inauguration"? Or is it just the plain incompetence to the state government in not performing proper planning and distribution. Once again...at this point in time "vaccine reluctance" has nothing to do with the low rate of vaccine distribution. We are not seeing doses go to waste because people are refusing to take them (in any meaningful manner). The current problems have to do with federal and state distribution failures and the failure of local governments & medical systems to staff up to a level needed to quickly vaccinate people
I cannot try the case for or against Florida here, especially since there are threads committed to Santis that I do not follow. But in the meantime, Florida's top emergency management official states that the root cause of the distribution problem is actually a supply problem whereby hospitals and its affiliates are withholding vast amounts for the second shot. That is a factor that I have already stated and identified. It is neverthess is - if true- a supply issue, not a distribution issue. And google will be your friend in pulling up articles where reluctance is already a problem. Particular in institutional settings such as long term care, or hospital workers, or firefighting units where appointments were not required but they did clinics those days and found out the hard way that not as many wanted the vaccine and had no Plan B for redistribution even though the demand in general is high. I believe I covered that. Your agenda is noted though. And I am not going to attempt to address Florida- because I don't follow it at level of those with a De Santis hard-on one way or the other do. But having said that I see that he has lowered the vaccine eligibility to 65 generically so that there will be plenty of people eligible without jumping through a lot of the used and abused eligibilty hoops. So that will help. And higher priority can still be higher. Except if you no-show someone else is there or on call. At least it is not like Oregon, where Kate Brown says the distribution system is horrible, and she has no idea and will go off and look at it. Great. wayyy to go Kate. I am pretty sure you will figure it out in the next ten days. The BIDEN SOLUTION.
Florida's "top emergency management official" is lying through his ass. The second doses that are being held back are not being held by the states but at the manufacturer storage sites. These doses have not been distributed to the states yet. At this point states have only vaccinated with about 25% of the doses. Even if the "second dose" was being held back at the state level -- then the states are only at a 50% vaccination rate with their available first round doses which is still horrible. This is not a supply issue (no matter what politicians are trying to claim so they don't lose their jobs). It is a distribution issue caused by lack of planning,limited common sense and horrible execution.
Which apparently does not prevail in some of the other leading countries either. Amazing how countries that presumably cannot trace all of their pandemic problems back to Trump and de Santis seem to have the same problems inherent in start-up phases of programs and in pandemics.
Strong stuff there. Must be one of the Ruskie vaccines. Check out the "nurse" in the back row. When you start looking like Mick Jagger it might be time to reconsider whether you really need that second dose or not.