I just got off the phone with a one of my best friends. He works for FEMA and is flying out to aid Texas in their recent storm disaster. He is very familiar with the problems of supplying aid to many in a short period of time during a disaster. When I express to him my utter disappointment with the way the U.S. government and Pennsylvania were handling the distribution of the vaccine, he agreed that Trump had no plan in place, except to get it to the docks; however, he was quick to defend Biden and the government efforts thus far. "This a monumental task," he proclaimed. "One should not think you can vaccinate 300 million people overnight." I agree it is a monumental task, and so far a monumental failure.
This is not to say nothing has gone right. The amount of vaccine Trump's administration predicted would be available was pretty accurate and 28 million did get their first does within six weeks. Still, according to USA today the rollout was tarnished by:
*The amount of vaccine states receive weekly fluctuates wildly, and there's no clear explanation why.
*States were not immediately prepared to distribute at the scale the public demanded, even when they did get expected amounts of vaccine.
*The federal government was not forceful enough in explaining it would take months to vaccinate everyone and early rationing would be necessary.
*Appointment scheduling programs crashed under overwhelming demand, leading to chaos as people tried to get in line. Digital scheduling systems advantaged people who are internet-savvy and had hours to spend waiting for their turn.
*Full-scale manufacturing didn't start until late last year; though 100 million doses initially were promised by the end of the year, 20 million were available in December and 30 million in January.
I know personally trying to get the vaccine is like trying to buy a Cabbage Patch Doll during the craze. It is a hit a miss situation. There is no agency you can call and get a definite appointment, regardless of how far into the future you are willing to wait. This underground network to get a vaccine is insane, especially considering the gravity of the situation.
It is not like we haven't had mass vaccinations before. We vaccinated 46 million for Swine flu and 81 million for H1N1 and nearly half the population 45% get the regular flu shot each year. So what's the problem? Shortage? Biden claims his administration has procured 200 million doses of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioTech vaccines. This according to National Geographic. That is enough to cover every adult in the US. Currently, in Phrase 1 and 2, we need only a fraction of that amount to cover those in need of the vaccination. Yes, of course, eventually we will have a surplus of the vaccine, and everyone who wants a shot will be able to get it as easy as filling a prescription. But time loss, is life loss as a well as a delay in getting the economy back to semblance of normalcy. We had/have the technology to do a better job. Here are some suggestions:
*Get an accurate account of how many doses are available and the current rate of production.
*Demographically and geographically map the areas that are in the greatest need and demand.
* Subsidize State and Local governments.
* Use All current resources that normally and routinely give vaccinations.
* Train additional personal to give vaccine shots.
* Fairly distribute the vacancies to the designated areas
* Have full transparency
* Have a State and National Hotline to anyone who can't an appointment.
We can do a better job. Our lives and economic future depends on it. And I am afraid that this is just a dress rehearsal for something much worse to come. We botch it in the beginning, let us not blunder in the end.
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