With California now predicting it could take months longer than anticipated to vaccinate people ages 65 and older, a health policy expert said a wider distribution network could improve efficacy and help the state advance further in its economic recovery.
California has received nearly 5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses but only 2.2 million have been administered, according to the latest data from the CDC.
The extent of disconnect among federal and state government agencies is slowing the distribution, even as coronavirus cases continue to mount, Sally Pipes, president, CEO, and the Thomas W. Smith fellow in health care policy at the Pacific Research Institute, told the Northern California Record.
“They need to get with the program and get the vaccines out there to everybody as fast as they can, and the government has been the stumbling block,” Pipes said. “That's just a microcosm of what would happen if the government took over our health care system, which is what Attorney General [Xavier] Becerra, who's up for Secretary of Health and Human Services, wants to do.”
A plan to deliver vaccines to pharmacies was to have started in January, The New York Times reported.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, said last week not to expect all pharmacies to have vaccines by the end of February.
The private sector could do a better job and needs to have a consistent, integral role, Pipes said.
“The pharmacies – the Walgreens, the CVS – they have tremendous distribution systems nationally,” Pipes said.
Amazon has also said that it’s willing to provide facilities – an announcement that should have come sooner, Pipes said, but the private sector still is better equipped to handle the logistics required to get shots into arms.
The Disneyland vaccination site had to shut down last week due to Santa Ana winds.
“How are they going to handle all the people that had appointments on those two days?” Pipes said.
A retail pharmacy trade group has said it could administer 100 million doses in 30 days.
As people wait for vaccines, they are also delaying crucial medical treatment because health care facilities are overwhelmed by COVID-19, which has now caused more than 400,000 U.S. deaths.
The pace of vaccinations will directly impact economic recovery, Pipes said, adding that California’s strict lockdown measures have not prevented an escalation of cases.
“These lockdowns have not stopped the fact that there are over 3 million cases of the pandemic in California,” Pipes said. “If these lockdowns were working, it should be far fewer.”