Read on Twitter
Quick thoughts on people worried about seemingly slow pace of vaccine distribution. Some things to remember and how we could speed it up going forward:
-for one thing, the reported numbers by CDC are best we have but even that's flawed. 3-5 day lag with some states not reporting
-for one thing, the reported numbers by CDC are best we have but even that's flawed. 3-5 day lag with some states not reporting
-Even if you follow the Bloomberg tracker, there are about 17 states that haven't updated their numbers in a week (NM in 2 weeks!). During that time, Moderna has rolled out doses to 3,500+ locations and LTC facility vaccinations have begun
So there could be a significant lag.
So there could be a significant lag.
-This goes to states still getting their reporting systems up and running. Less than half of US states currently have a vaccination dashboard to track data. Think back to March/April and how long it took providers and testing sites to streamline reporting to the state.
What else is hindering reporting?
The main distribution sites right now are hospitals and LTC facilities. Hospitals are currently fighting a covid surge and LTC facility vaccinations are being carried out by third parties.
The main distribution sites right now are hospitals and LTC facilities. Hospitals are currently fighting a covid surge and LTC facility vaccinations are being carried out by third parties.
This isn't all to say there are no bottlenecks in distribution. Where are these bottlenecks?
Going back to hospitals fighting covid surges, vaccination for an individual can take up to 30mins (with forms, monitoring etc), which someone may not have time for during their shift
Going back to hospitals fighting covid surges, vaccination for an individual can take up to 30mins (with forms, monitoring etc), which someone may not have time for during their shift
So think of it this way: The normal nurse to patient ratio is 1 nurse for 4-5 patients. With some hospitals overwhelmed, some nurses are taking care of 6-7 patients at once. They don't have time to take 30mins off and go get vaccinated.
What about other distribution sites, like LTC facilities?
This is beginning to ramp up, but again this takes time. Getting legal consent from medical proxies of LTC patients can take a while and add layer of complexity, detailed in this article here https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/business/covid-coronavirus-vaccine-nursing-homes.html
This is beginning to ramp up, but again this takes time. Getting legal consent from medical proxies of LTC patients can take a while and add layer of complexity, detailed in this article here https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/business/covid-coronavirus-vaccine-nursing-homes.html
Does this complexity let up anytime soon?
Maybe. Hospitals are juggling a lot right now,hard to get it right within 1st week or 2. LTC distribution seems to be scaling up day by day.Also, states are opening drive-thru vaccination centers so people can get the jab off their shift
Maybe. Hospitals are juggling a lot right now,hard to get it right within 1st week or 2. LTC distribution seems to be scaling up day by day.Also, states are opening drive-thru vaccination centers so people can get the jab off their shift
Is this Operation Warp Speed's fault?
Not really. Operation Warp Speed is responsible for development/manufacturing/delivering the vaccine. State and local governments/health care providers responsible for administration. Once delivered, out of OWS's hands.
Not really. Operation Warp Speed is responsible for development/manufacturing/delivering the vaccine. State and local governments/health care providers responsible for administration. Once delivered, out of OWS's hands.
What are some ways to speed up administration and alleviate the bottleneck some hospitals/LTC facilities are experiencing?
The stimulus bill just signed provides aid for vaccine distribution.This should help open up mass vaccination sites (which some states like FL already have)
The stimulus bill just signed provides aid for vaccine distribution.This should help open up mass vaccination sites (which some states like FL already have)
The additional money in the stimulus package for vaccine distribution will also go to help staffing for administering vaccines. States could recruit retired/former nurses and doctors to help administration, similar to what we saw in the spring outbreak.
Anyways, this process only began a couple weeks ago. It's going to take a few more weeks to get everything online and get all reporting/administration cranking. You may start to see big daily jumps in numbers soon, which may be because more reporting is coming online.
In sum, if you see people lamenting the USâs slow rollout of the vaccine, keep these caveats in mind 
