Amid a nationwide shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, state and local health departments struggle to deliver vaccination programs. States and local governments have limited staff, a backlog of paperwork, and a limited number of places to administer doses. Incentives such as time off from work and free rides on public transportation are being offered to encourage vaccine uptake. But many people are still not getting the shot.
A PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll finds that 49% of Republican men say they don’t plan to get the vaccine. The same poll found that 87% of Democrats plan to. In a prime-time address, President Biden instructs states to make vaccines available to all adults by May 1. He also urges Americans to continue to practice mitigation efforts like mask wearing and social distancing.
The CDC’s soon-to-be 19th director, Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH, pledges to increase science-based communication in an effort to tackle vaccine hesitancy and antivaccine sentiment. But she also acknowledges that the vaccine supply remains limited, especially in harder-to-reach communities. State and local governments are enlisting supermarket pharmacies, such as Rite Aid Corp. and Kroger Co., to help administer vaccines to frontline healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
J&J’s delivery data suggest that the company will miss its target of delivering 20 million doses to the US federal government by the end of March. But the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee votes to approve the company’s request for an expedited production and release of its second batch of vaccine.