Very encouraged by the moves forward this week in the US vaccination effort. An average of 1.2-1.3M doses a day being administered across the country now (up from 700k-800K 2 wks ago). 1/x https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/covid-19-vaccine-doses.html?action=click&state=default&region=hub&context=storyline_hub&module=styln-coronavirus-vaccines&variant=show&pgtype=LegacyCollection

We will need to accelerate vaccination numbers further as soon as vaccine production allows, but the numbers of daily vaccinations moving in right direction. Now is the time to be rapidly scaling up capacity to administer in all states. 2/x

There are now stable dose projections for next 3 weeks – 10M doses to be distributed nationally per week -a 16% increase. States have been asking for this stability, and it should help them in their planning efforts. 3/x

Still wide range of coverage across US. Some states have given 6 doses per 100 people, others 13. Overall nearly 50M doses have been delivered to states, and about 31M have been administered. Hopefully states will be able to continue to close the gap. 4/x https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html

Very good to see that HHS revised the Prep Act to increase the number of vaccinators around the country by allowing retired nurses and doctors to do COVID vaccination. 5/x

Great development that US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers being activated to assist on the ground vaccination efforts. And that FEMA giving out $1B in assistance to states and to have 200 FEMA officials on the ground now helping with state vax efforts. 6/x

Important to see all of Pfizer shipments now coming with syringe that allows use of that 6th dose – that’s one more dose with every single vial (of previously 5 doses.) 7/x

Terrific press release on J&J vax – 85% efficacy in protecting against severe COVID at 28 days in wildtype, UK and S. African strains, and no deaths after 49 days. One dose will make administration faster + easier. Need to see data, and FDA to review, but great news so far. 8/x

J&J promises 100M doses to US by June (which could hugely accelerate US vaccination effort) as well as 1B doses for world in 2021 (which will hugely accelerate global vaccination effort). 9/x

Discovery of variants and clear evolution of this virus around the world means that there will continue to be major threat posed by this virus until there is successful global vaccination effort everywhere. 10/x

Very important to vaccinate the US population given the terrible illness and mortality from this disease in our country. But we have to be big donor and part of the global vaccination effort too. 11/x

As long as the virus thrives, evolves, mutates anywhere in the world, it will be a threat to everywhere in the world. 12/x

Congress should pass the American Rescue Plan to provide funding to accelerate and strengthen the vaccination program (community vax clinics, mobile clinics, free vaccine etc) and expand genomic surveillance for variants, and accelerate other COVID relief efforts. 13/end