W.Va. held up as a success amid debate on rollout
WASHINGTON — As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout began, state officials established five regional distribution hubs, linked pharmacies to nursing home residents and attached GPS trackers to vials heading into hard-to-reach rural communities tucked among mountain ridges.
The coordinated effort, held up as a national model by lawmakers on Tuesday, is not Pennsylvania’s to celebrate. Rather, it’s the Keystone State’s neighbor to the south, West
Virginia, that can tout a vaccine program which, this week, became the first to immunize all of its nursing home residents and staff.
Yet members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee interpreted West Virginia’s success in different ways: Was it successful because the state eschewed a prescriptive federal plan, as many Republicans argued? Or was it because of the state’s unified, multi-agency approach — something Democrats said should be adopted at the federal level?
Clay Marsh, a physician who serves as West Virginia’s COVID-19/coronavirus czar, sought to stay above the political fray.
“It’s easy to point fingers, but this is the most complex program and distribution plan that we’ve ever experienced in our country,” Dr. Marsh told lawmakers. “It’s really a matter of all of us working together.”
Dr. Marsh attributed the state’s vaccination success to its experience delivering goods to 1.7 million residents living in largely rural areas. The state declined the federal pharmacy program for nursing home vaccinations and handled those partnerships itself. It summoned the National Guard’s logistics experts to lead a Joint Interagency Task Force that, among other things, created the five hubs that place vaccine within maximum two hours of driving time.
“We’re scrappy and resilient, and we have created our own supply chain for things,” Dr. Marsh said. “We believe, in order to best meet the needs of our citizens, we need local involvement at many levels. You have to be able to become agile and respond.”
The virtual hearing, which also featured public health officials from Illinois, Michigan, Colorado and Louisiana, was called to assess sluggish COVID19 vaccination rates across the country.
President Joe Biden has promised greater federal involvement in streamlining distribution, and Democrats in Congress are pressing another COVID19 bill that includes $160 billion for vaccine delivery. The White House announced Tuesday it would begin shipping COVID-19 vaccines to U.S. pharmacies next week.
While the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed poured billions into the development of a vaccine, states were left to draft distribution plans based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Across the country, state health department officials estimated $8.4 billion in federal aid was needed to tackle all the logistical challenges. Congress approved those funds in December, yet Pennsylvania’s allotment of $100 million in aid was held up for weeks.
The national rollout has been slower than many had hoped. As of Monday, about 32 million vaccine doses have been administered, just 64% of the nearly 50 million that have been distributed to the states, according to CDC data posted online. West Virginia’s administration rate is 85%.
Pennsylvania has lagged behind most other states, according to the data. As of Monday, Pennsylvania’s vaccine providers reported administering about 1.1 million doses of vaccines, or about 57% of the nearly 2 million doses distributed.
Pennsylvania health officials have explained that those numbers take into account reporting lags and the setting aside of booster doses for several weeks. Officials have said unpredictable deliveries of the vaccine from the federal government make it difficult for many health care providers to plan.
Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, told constituents during a telephone town hall Monday the state had been overwhelmed from the start by a lack of communication from the Trump administration.
“They didn’t know when they’re going to get the vaccine or how much they were going to get,” Mr. Lamb said. “Then, all of a sudden, they had to figure out how to get it in people’s arms.”
That issue emerged in Tuesday’s hearing.
Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said her state was receiving 80,000 doses a week when it has the capacity to dole out 300,000 doses now.
“We need supply and then we need better predictability in terms of the number of weekly doses we will be receiving to help with our planning efforts,” Ms. Ryan said.
Rep. John Joyce, RBlair, a physician who was named to the committee last month, said Pennsylvania had an alarming lack of vaccine access in rural communities.
“I hear from my constituents every day who are eligible to receive the vaccine, but they simply cannot find a dose,” Dr. Joyce said.
Dr. Marsh echoed other states’ criticisms that more doses were needed: West Virginia currently is receiving 23,600 doses a week when it can handle 125,000 weekly doses.
Republicans used their speaking time to defend the Trump administration’s vaccine program and pushed for states to have flexibility.
Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., said she was “frustrated with a onesize-fits-all approach” and asked panelists to speak to any benefits from a stateby-state approach.
While Dr. Marsh said the state went in a “different direction,” he recommended better communication among state leaders to share lessons learned. “It’s just as important to not keep doing the things that don’t work as adopting the things that do,” Dr. Marsh said.