Biden failing to deliver on his vaccine promise
Supply and demand.
It’s simple economics and the Biden administration is flunking the course.
Operation Warp Speed was the brainchild of the Trump administration. It resulted in the development of coronavirus vaccines in record time. President Biden has scored points trashing it as he hides from delivering on the promise of a vaccine for everyone who wants one. It’s time to stop the politicking and start vaccinating. About a million people are eligible for a coronavirus vaccination in Massachusetts today. Yet only 130,000 or so doses are being squeezed out of the pipeline weekly for the state. It’s just not enough.
The state’s vaxfinder website continues to be overwhelmed and people are frustrated. They should be. Gov. Charlie Baker was grilled Thursday by lawmakers over the flaws in the system. But the math just doesn’t added up. Supply is not meeting demand.
The solution is simple — flood the state with more doses.
The Biden administration talks a good game, but it’s time to stop blaming Donald Trump and break the mold and rise to the challenge.
Could the feds use the Defense Production Act to commandeer other pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities to supercharge the production of Moderna and Pfizer doses?
The Biden team has already invoked the 1950 law to boost production of supplies needed to confront the coronavirus pandemic and help vaccine makers. Go a step further. The Defense Production Act was signed by President Harry S. Truman during the Korean War to attack glaring needs.
Former President Donald Trump used it to accelerate the production of masks for health care workers, ventilators, gloves and eye protectors early in the pandemic. Why not try it again for vaccines?
Bay State Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey need to jump into the fray and take ownership of the flaws. Massachusetts is begging for leadership from the federal side, not Monday morning quarterbacks.
Biden was dead on late Thursday afternoon when he told the nation’s governors in a Zoom session that they all have “one job” and that is “to deliver.” But governors can’t do it alone.
Biden said his team will deliver on 300 million Americans vaccinated by the end of July. But it’s too early to celebrate. The system is broken because of a simple lack of supply. Biden needs to take his own advice.
“We need to be more ambitious right now,” Biden told the governors, referring to the economy. But wouldn’t a flood of vaccine doses help lift the economy?
“We just have to step up,” he added. Yes, we agree.
Americans need new ideas — in warp speed — to open up the production and delivery of vaccines to states. Today Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine is up for a vote for a possible emergency use authorization by an FDA panel. That will help.
It just feels as if the urgency is absent. Biden needs to seize the moment and focus on ramping up vaccine production. He told the governors it’s time to “send Americans a strong message that help and hope is on the way.”
Sure, a strong stimulus plan is badly needed — but shots, doses, vaccines for all who qualify are needed so the state’s website doesn’t tell worried taxpayers they must wait thousands of minutes in a virtual line only to be bumped out when all the doses are spoken for.
Baker can’t make miracles happen. The Democratic administration needs to shut up and step up. It’s all about the doses. Supply must meet demand before another variant rears its ugly head.
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