Over the past few weeks, administration officials have repeatedly briefed President Donald Trump on data showing that the acceleration of COVID-19 infections and deaths will soon be one of the deepest chapters of the epidemic in the country.
But Trump, according to three sources with knowledge of the situation, has remained unchanged.
“It has not changed its perspective,” said a senior administration official. The official said Trump responded to such warnings several times with the insistence that his administration complete a “miracle” with the development of a COVID vaccine – a nectar for the battle of the epidemic that President Joe Biden got, He did the best he could in the 2020 election, no one could pull him.
Trump’s absence from COVID’s shocking news is hardly new. Nor does his optimist boast about the upcoming vaccine.
And yet, the latest round of downplaying still sent shocks through the ranks of administration brass and senior public-health officials who fear not only the damage that will likely happen in the coming weeks, but the real, unimpeachable odds. Will also meet you. Commentary to the public.
Despite much heralded successes in vaccine research, state, and local authorities across the country, they are still unclear about basic operational elements, such as the amount of doses they will receive from the federal government, particularly those previously in their communities Will receive the vaccine, and how long will the vaccination supply last.
The inability to find answers to those questions has led to confusion and frustration among those seeking to handle the COVID fight. And in the fastest setback to date, a member of Biden’s own task force team attacked the Trump administration on Monday for failing to ensure states had what they needed to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I see and hear that the operation is taunting speed… operating airplanes and trucks with special freezer units. And we hear that they are about to drop the vaccine somewhere in a warehouse full of deep freezers. But I don’t hear about the plan after that in more detail, “said Rick Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and a member of Biden’s coronavirus infection task force. “It is difficult to address the last mile between the loading dock and the patient’s arm. The second part that has not yet taken place in this administration is ensuring that adequate financial resources are provided to support vaccination programs and to vaccinate. “
“I see and hear that the operation is warp speed… airplanes and trucks with special freezer units. And we hear that they are about to drop the vaccine somewhere in a warehouse full of deep freezers. But I don’t know much about the plan that followed.“
– Dr. Rick bright
Bright’s warnings are not the isolated disappointment of the now well-known critic of the current administration. (Tejashwi resigned from the federal government in October, when he submitted a whistleblower claim that his superiors removed him from his post as he pushed back on political pressure to support the use of hydroxychloroquine gave).
Officials around the country say there is a lack of clear message from the federal government as to how the country prioritizes the initial round of vaccine doses from Pfizer. While states across the US have consistently negotiated with officials associated with Operation Tana Speed - a public-private partnership aimed at rapid tracking of the coronovirus vaccine – there is widespread concern about the details of vaccine delivery.
Each state and territory submitted its interim plans for vaccine delivery in October, many of them as a blueprint on pre-disbursement plans for how the COVID-19 vaccine would reach the public. While most of those plans have been updated after further negotiations with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Operation Tana Moti, without much guidance from the federal government on a priority basis, the plans can only go so far.
Last week, for example, a spokesman for Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said the state “expected to receive about 185,000 doses upon initial shipment,” but “did not know for sure.” In Pennsylvania, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Health said “there are still many details working at the federal level about vaccination distribution.” An executive summary of the department’s October vaccination plan estimated that “there is an extremely limited number of doses at the beginning of the vaccination program”, as it set its vaccination priorities.
Although the White House Coronovirus Task Force has for months urged states to trust and create vaccines in their communities, local officials and individuals familiar with the administration’s plan said those efforts have fallen short.
A senior local official in New Jersey told the Daily Beast that there was a total lack of communication from the state about how he was not authorized to speak on the matter. “This is probably because state officials are still trying to figure out how to configure this thing first. But we got to ask the nurses and doctors who are there in their hospitals and we do not have the answer right now. “
In an interim version of the New Jersey COVID-19 vaccination delivery plan, officials said the state plans to follow the CDC’s recommendations for a phased approach to vaccine rollout and that it will first vaccinate healthcare workers. The interim report states that the state needs to prioritize which health workers go on the line, “initially considering the availability of scarce vaccines and the possibility of supply shortages”. The report also noted that New Jersey “does not anticipate that federal funding for NJ-to-date will be sufficient to meet the resource needs for this complex, large-scale vaccination program.”
Inside President Trump’s COVID task force, vaccine distribution has played an important role and has become one of the most prominent discussion points in semi-regular briefings with governors. Trump has mostly been MIA on those discussions and meetings, And is convinced – according to two people who have spoken to him since Election Day – that some experts, chief among them Fauci, were “wrong” in the past and in favor of Biden anyway.
On Monday, the task force’s principal aide, radiologist Scott Atlas, announced that he was resigning. Some Trump aides and advisers say they hope, or hope, that the president will keep his distance from further operations.
“I am not sure what the task force members want them to do at this point and why they have to face time. [Scott] Atlas is gone. Let’s go [Vice President] Message and lead on COVID, “Joe Grogan, formerly a top domestic policy adviser for President Trump, said on Monday. “[Trump] One can remain privately behind the scenes as president and keep soldiers in line. “
“I’m not sure what the task force members want him to do at this point and why he needs face time.“
– Joe Grogan
Trump has shown some interest, however, in the pace of vaccine production and distribution. As CNN reported, he had his Chief of Staff call the head of the Federal Drug Administration to the White House to clarify why the agency had not allowed emergency use of Pfizer’s vaccine more quickly. Trump plans to host a vaccine summit with manufacturers and distributors at the White House next week, two days before the FDA’s meeting on the FFA’s Emergency Use Authority.
Some Trump Administration Health Officials Accept Negotiations of priorities are proceeding at a slow pace mainly because the FDA has so far evaluated emergency use authorities from Pfizer and Modern. But others point to the CDC saying it is slow to finalize the agency and announce its recommended priority plan.
The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization, which helps inform the CDC on a priority basis, is scheduled to meet on Tuesday afternoon to receive the vaccine first within the first tier of COVID-19 vaccine recipients. CDC Director Robert Redfield and Vice President Mike Pence have suggested that vaccination delivery may begin next week and that “the most vulnerable” Americans should receive it first. Both have said that those most vulnerable populations include border health workers, residents and employees of nursing homes and individuals over 65 years of age.
The problem, state and local officials say, is not clear from the federal government’s standpoint on whether there will be sufficient vaccine availability to fully reach that group of people. According to several state officials and state COVID-19 vaccination delivery plans reviewed by The Daily Beast, there is some concern that vaccines will be lacking in the early stages of vaccination and that they expect a degree of conflict between residents and not just those who Qualified to receive the first dose, rather how and when to follow for the second shot of vaccination. (The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses within three weeks of each other).
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services public information officer Lynn Sutfin told The Daily Beast that officials expected the number of COVID-19 vaccinations to be “too small” and “only available to front-line healthcare workers.” “
In Ohio, the state’s Department of Health said that if only small amounts of the vaccine became available, “those at greatest risk include those in long-term care facilities, nursing homes, and other detached care facilities.” , Workers in high-risk health care and first responders may choose to receive it. “
“The vaccine is not available until specific administration or vaccination details are approved by the FDA,” Melanie Amato, a spokesperson for Ohio’s Department of Health, told the Daily Beast in an email. “… we continue to wait for more guidance from the federal government.”
Awaiting January, members of Biden’s COVID task force say they are already working with the states to determine how to deliver the vaccine.
In an interview with CNN last week, a member of the Biden team, Drs. Celine Gounder said the president-elect’s plan is to “leave it to public health experts and scientists to figure out how to allocate limited supplies first.”
“We want to make sure science is moving forward and politics is staying out of the way. And at the same time, we want to communicate and coordinate locally and locally in hospitals and states.” In tribal territory and jurisdiction, so they don’t feel like they’re on their own, they don’t feel like they have to come up with their plan, independently, “Ujjwal said.” We want to provide as much. Guidance and hand coordination at the federal level all the way through the patient, in fact, to ensure that there is a coherent, coordinated plan, and no one feels like they are on their own. “
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