States waiting for answers from feds on coronavirus vaccine distribution

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Sat, 2020-11-14 11:10 — mike kraft

States waiting for answers from feds on coronavirus vaccine distribution With the US on the cusp of a coronavirus vaccine, states are scrambling to nail down their distribution plans as they await key information -- like how many doses of the vaccine they'll receive. Priscilla Alvarez, Sara Murray and Elizabeth Cohen, CNN CNN

(CNN) With the US on the cusp of a coronavirus vaccine, states are scrambling to nail down their distribution plans as they await key information -- like how many doses of the vaccine they'll receive.

Multiple federal agencies are involved in the process, and some state officials are concerned about a lack of transparency and clarity in the run-up to a vaccine's release at a time of such urgency.

"There's plenty of confusion to go around," said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers, which represents state immunization program managers.

Gen. Gustave Perna, who is helping to oversee Operation Warp Speed, told a top health official in Missouri he knew how many doses the state would get but wasn't willing to share the number yet.

In California, officials say they're planning for "multiple scenarios." And in Minnesota, officials say they need more federal funds to carry out a vaccination program. ...

The unease stems from a severe shortage in personal protective equipment earlier this year

that resulted in states clamoring to obtain the necessary supplies to respond to the pandemic, diminishing confidence between states and the federal government.

The vaccination program is being managed nationally by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense, and Operation Warp Speed, the federal government's effort to speed development of drugs, vaccines and other measures to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The director of distribution for Operation Warp Speed told CNN Thursday that the federal government's vaccine distribution system is "ready to go." ...

Operation Warp Speed, however, will not play a role in deciding how many doses of coronavirus vaccine will be sent to each state, Ostrowski told CNN, saying that allocations to states "is really a policy decision." ...

Also see : Left out of Covid-19 vaccine planning, Biden advisers developing their own distribution strategy

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