These Changes Could Speed Up Vaccination Efforts, According to Health Experts
A medical worker shows a Pfizer coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine before giving it to nurse Sandra Lindsay, who was among the first to receive it, and who will receive the second dose at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in the Queens borough of New York City, U.S., January 4, 2021. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/Pool

Dr. Peter Hotez, Co-Director of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children's Hospital, said that the federal government should set clear goals on how many people need to be vaccinated each day and put less highlight on phased eligibility if it interferes with the timeline.

Hotez said that making vaccines available to specific populations or job categories beyond health care workers and nursing home facilities is too complex, according to an ABC News report.

Hotez said that there is no thought how operationalize that Phase 1B and 1C.

"If the demand isn't there in 1a, go to 1b and continue on down. If the demand isn't there in one location, move those vaccines to another location," Surgeon General Jerome Adams was quoted on a report.

Adams also introduced an idea supported by previous Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who said that there should be more shipments of vaccines going to pharmacies to start inoculating the populations with the most demand for the vaccine.

The surgeon general added that there will be more information this week about ramping up vaccination efforts from CVS and Walgreens, which are both cooperating with Operation Warp Speed.

Gottlieb added that if stockpiles continue to build, eligibility should be expanded. He said that society has a responsibility to help the most vulnerable, and the collective population depends on maximizing the number of vaccinations.

He said that these two goals do not need to be in conflict, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Shipping more vaccines should be prioritized

The former FDA Commissioner also noted that shipping more doses out to states should be prioritized, instead of holding back second doses for people who have already received their first dose.

Gottlieb also noted that the best option may be to rely more on the private industry such as national pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreen, who have an agreement with the federal government.

However, Hotez argued that that would not address the slow movement of vaccinations on the ground.

George Washington University emergency physician and public health professor, Dr. Leana Wen, said that the federal government could allot additional shipments of vaccine doses to cities of parts of the country able to perform vaccinations quickly.

This is a sort of a pilot program to show what works.

For instance, Wen said that the federal government could give 10 cities a million doses each or more, to administer within a month period. From there, those responsible for vaccine rollout can learn from their experience as each city will do it differently.

Operation Warp Speed

Meanwhile, Operation Warp Speed chief Moncef Slaoui said that health officials are considering giving two half doses of Moderna vaccine to speed up the vaccination program in the United States, as reported by CNBC News.

This came as a response as to why the U.S. was not using the same strategy to use available doses, as to what the United Kingdom has adopted.

Slaoui said that he thought it would be a mistake to make a decision that was not supported by the trial data, which Dr. Anthony Fauci backed up. Fauci said that the strategy goes against the sciences and would not fix the current issues about the vaccine rollout.