Rules for vaccination eligibility, distribution must evolve
The words from President Joe Biden are filled with disappointment.
“The vaccine rollout in the United States has been a dismal failure thus far.”
He’s not a lone voice. There’s huge frustration with the COVID-19 vaccine’s national, state and Marin rollout.
The new rule has to be making the vaccine’s distribution simple while leveling with the public on the details. Any delay risks lives while prolonging economic devastation.
Those agencies all had six months to prepare for this moment. The federal Operation Warp Speed had two equally essential assignments: First, quickly develop a safe vaccine that stems the tide of the worst epidemic the nation and the world has faced in a hundred years. Second, develop and implement procedures to quickly manufacture and distribute it.
Operation Warp Speed hit the bull’s-eye on the first assignment. It is vastly underperforming its second duty.
The federal government under the prior administration did little to address and actively minimize a health crisis which has taken more than 410,000 U.S. lives. Vaccine reserves former Health and Human Service Secretary Alex Azar announced would be distributed two weeks ago didn’t exist. There was no federal vaccine distribution plan.
Inconsistencies among California’s 58 counties raises doubts about the state’s competency to coordinate injections. It’s easy to blame an incompetent and disinterested Trump, but Gov. Gavin Newsom was never much of an administrator as San Francisco’s mayor — witness current mismanagement of the Employment Development Department.
Marin’s Department of Health and Human Services is staffed by dedicated professionals but even here the vaccine rollout is confusing. While scientists and doctors know their specialties, they’re not necessarily strong at logistics. To find those knowledgeable about quick and efficient distribution, ask Amazon or Federal Express. This needs to be a multi-disciplinary exercise including drug producers and epidemiologists plus logistics and communications professionals.
I hear from IJ readers frustrated about the lack of reliable information. Typical rumors are about someone aged 65 who snagged an appointment at San Rafael Kaiser, others waiting hours on a vaccination date queue or those in Bay Area counties following different guidelines.
At coronavirus.marinhhs.org/vaccine, county officials recently added an online interest form which effectively allows those 75 and older to preregister for vaccination. Unlike other counties, there’s no word when Marinites between 65 and 75 may sign up.
There’s no public onestop Bay Area source indicating where the vaccine is available other than the county’s message to contact individual health care providers. Volunteercrafted websites are filling that gap indicating where appointments for doses are open. While Marin locations are limited, in Contra Costa County even supermarket pharmacies are making plans to take injection reservations for residents 65 and older.
There are long explanations of why this is so, but the public demands performance, not excuses.
The hope is the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration will rapidly take charge putting the distribution process in gear. They’ve already activated the Defense Production Act to substantially increase serum production. They need to follow the “keep it simple” rule. The prioritization of those to receive injections looked fair and practical on paper but is too restrictive and is breaking down in the field.
Transparency helps. Disclose how many doses are being allocated to state, county and private medical groups. Trust has to constantly be re-earned. It’s not automatic even for doctors and scientists.
Marin needs to open the process around the changing rules for vaccinations to the public so all residents know in real time when and where dosages are available and why our supply differs from those in adjacent counties. Unlike the famous quote from “A Few Good Men,” we can handle the truth.