The distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the United States might face different problems. Different state officials are now planning how to deal with these issues.

Vaccination
(Photo : Reutersconnect/Tatyana Makeyeva)
A healthcare worker receiving COVID-19 vaccine.

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine could have the emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration next month if the pending data proves that the vaccine is indeed safe and effective.

In spite of this, there might be some problems when it comes to distribution.

Hurdles in COVID-19 vaccine distribution

According to The New York Times, some state and local officials warn that the vaccination might be affected because of inadequate technology, severe funding shortfalls, and a lack of trained personnel.

These are the problems they have seen so far that must be addressed once the vaccine is available. 

Trump administration has already allocated and spent billions of dollars to companies who are developing the vaccines.

However, the state and local officials worry about the logistics like how the vaccine will be transported and who will get it first. 

Read also: Health Experts Raise Safety Concerns for Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine 

Public health departments across the country said that they are going to expand online systems to track and share information on who has been vaccinated.

These systems will also help to recruit and train thousands of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to give people the vaccine and collect data. In addition to that, online systems will record everyone who gets it and safe locations for mass vaccination events.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it has already spent $200 million and another $140 million in December. However, the state and local officials said that the budget was billions of dollars short for them to execute their plan. 

Dr. Thomas E. Dobbs III, the state health officer of Mississippi, said, "We absolutely do not have enough to pull this off successfully. This is going to be a phenomenal logistical feat, to vaccinate everybody in the country. We absolutely have zero margins for failure. We really have to get this right."

Billions needed for effective distribution campaign

Additionally, different health departments across that country have already asked the House of Congress for at least $8.4 billion more for a timely, comprehensive, and equitable vaccine distribution campaign. Dr. Robert Redfield, CDC's Director, said that at least $6 billion is needed. 

Rebecca Coyle, executive director of the American Immunization Registry Association, also said that there is a lot of anxiety about the vaccine.

She added that the country is not yet ready for human mass vaccination. Many Americans expressed doubts in getting vaccinated right after a proper vaccine is made available.

The U.S. FDA might approve Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in the coming weeks. However, the approval comes along with logistical challenges including the fact that every recipient will need a booster shot three weeks after their initial dose.

Public health officials also claimed that keeping track of which people need the follow-up dose and getting them to return from it are just a few of the challenges they are facing.

They also need to know the providers' reports, the dose administered, demographic, and other data to their state within 24 hours. 

Read also: COVID-19: Analysis Shows Pfizer's Vaccine is 90% Effective in Phase 3 Trial