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UPDATE: CDC says states need about $6 billion from Congress to distribute coronavirus vaccine

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Thu, 2020-09-17 10:14 — mike kraft
Top health official says states need about $6 billion from Congress to distribute coronavirus vaccine ‘We need to get resources to states now,' warns CDC Director Robert Redfield. Lena H. Sun Washington Post

Trump administration officials released a detailed road map Wednesday of their plans to speed doses of a coronavirus vaccine into the arms of millions of Americans, as a top health official warned that Congress has yet to provide about $6 billion to help states prepare for what is expected to be the largest vaccination campaign ever undertaken.

Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a Senate panel that his agency, which is playing a lead role in vaccine distribution, does not have the critical funds that states need for the distribution, which will take place in phases. Those state efforts include maintaining vaccines at temperatures of minus-70 Celsius (minus-94 Fahrenheit), which will require special freezers and dry ice, systems to ensure people get the correct doses at the right times — most vaccines will require two shots — and multiple scenarios for giving shots at hospitals, pharmacies, mobile clinics and doctors’ offices.

The CDC has about $600 million in dwindling relief money, but states urgently need additional resources, Redfield said, responding to questions from Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who chairs the Senate appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Education.

We need to get resources to states now,” Redfield said. “They cannot do it without resources. In my professional opinion … it’s going to take somewhere between $5.5 [billion] to $6 billion to distribute this vaccine. It’s as urgent as getting these manufacturing facilities up.”  ...

See earlier story https://apnews.com/fecd2157ba73f72f43c600783c773089

 

 

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Thu, 2020-09-17 21:24 — mike kraft

Vaccine distribution isn’t as easy as Trump wants people to think State officials say they're still in the dark about key details, and the CDC chief warned states need billions of dollars more to ensure people get shots. POLITICO

President Donald Trump is suggesting a coronavirus vaccine can be delivered widely in a matter of weeks. But states ultimately tasked with leading the distribution effort are already confronting a host of logistical and supply chain challenges that could dash the Trump administration’s hopes of quickly distributing a vaccine once it’s approved.

State and federal officials must ensure providers are equipped to administer a vaccine that needs to be kept at extremely cold temperatures, as one of the leading vaccine candidates would require. States are also missing out on desperately sought federal funding to hire and train staff to administer the shots, as they’re also trying to amass basic supplies. Some states may also rely on a new, untested federally designed system to track who’s getting shots and manage supplies. ...

howdy folks