Governors largely applaud Biden’s vaccine timeline, but need supply

SACRAMENTO >> Governors largely cheered President Joe Biden’s declaration that all adults should be eligible for coronavirus vaccinations by May 1, but the goal will require a shift for states that have been methodical in how they roll out the shots.

California, the nation’s most populous state, hasn’t set a timeline for giving vaccines to the general public, instead prioritizing older adults, teachers and people in vulnerable neighborhoods. Oregon planned to open eligibility for front-line workers and all adults with disabilities, not the broader population, by May 1.

Alaska, meanwhile, is already allowing all adults to sign up for a shot. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said before Biden spoke Thursday night that wide eligibility could come by next month, while Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced Friday that it would happen by mid-April. Governors in Wisconsin, Louisiana and North Carolina said they’re ready to open the floodgates on May 1.

But several governors cautioned it must come with a dramatic increase in vaccine supply.

“In order for widespread and comprehensive vaccination to work, the federal government will need to come through with increased doses and infrastructure,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement.

Jeffrey Zients, the White House’s coronavirus coordinator, told reporters Friday that May 1 is an “absolute deadline” and that the nation will have enough supply between the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to give shots to all adults by the end of that month. Now, an average of 2.2 million doses are being administered per day.

As long as supply ramps up, the goal seems reasonable, said Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and an epidemiology professor. But she warned it could create challenges around equity and set unrealistic expectations among Americans that they will immediately be vaccinated come May.

Some states may not have the infrastructure to quickly ramp up doses for such a broad pool.

“It could be a delay for people to actually get a vaccine because of the operational constraints,” she said.

California, home to nearly 40 million people, says it has the capacity to vaccinate 3 million per week but is getting about half that number of doses. By April 1, the state plans to ramp up weekly shots to 4 million people. But so far, vaccines are still limited to those 65 and older, educators, farmworkers, emergency service workers and, starting Monday, an estimated 4.4 million people with disabilities and certain health conditions.

California officials did not immediately answer questions Friday about how Biden’s declaration would alter their plans.