The Trump administration on Tuesday issued new guidelines that expand coronavirus vaccine eligibility to everyone age 65 and older as well as to those with comorbid conditions, like diabetes.
The states’ focus on vaccinating health-care workers and nursing homes has created a bottleneck, a senior administration official told CNBC, speaking on condition of anonymity in advance of the formal announcement.
“The states are being told immediately they need to expand to 65-plus as well as those under 65 with comorbid conditions,” the official said.
The administration will also stop holding back millions of doses reserved for the second round of shots of Pfizer and Moderna’s two-dose vaccines, the official said, adding they released doses that had been held in reserve on Sunday. --->READ MORE HERE
The U.S. government announced major changes to vaccine distribution Tuesday, upending what's been standard operating procedure for the past four weeks in an attempt to speed COVID-19 vaccinations and move closer to widespread immunity against the coronavirus.
In a media briefing, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar asked states to expand vaccinations to people 65 and older, as well as others with comorbidities, provided they have some form of medical documentation. He said restrictions by states on who is eligible to get the vaccine "have obstructed speed and accessibility of administration."
“There was never a reason that states needed to complete vaccinating all health care providers before opening vaccinations to older Americans and other vulnerable populations," Azar said. "States should not be waiting to complete 1a priorities before proceeding to broader categories of eligibility."
Azar also announced the government will release all available vaccine to states instead of holding back doses for scheduled second shots. Federal officials had been keeping vaccine in reserve to guarantee second doses but Azar said increased vaccine supply and the pace of manufacturing will ensure everyone who gets a first dose will get a second dose on schedule. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to related stories and resources:
Florida puts New York to shame in rational pandemic policies
3 members of California family reportedly die of COVID-19 in as many weeks
USA TODAY: Coronavirus Updates
WSJ: Coronavirus Live Updates
YAHOO NEWS: Coronavirus Live Updates
NEW YORK POST: Coronavirus The Latest
If you like what you see, please "Like" us on Facebook either here or here. Please follow us on Twitter here.
No comments:
Post a Comment