U.S. Not Ready to Distribute Vaccines by November, Experts Say

Public health departments, which have struggled for months to test and trace everyone exposed to the novel coronavirus, are now being told to prepare to distribute COVID-19 vaccines as early as November 1.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told health departments across the country to draft vaccination plans by October "to coincide with the earliest possible release of COVID-19 vaccine."

The CDC also wrote to governors last week about the urgent need to have vaccine distribution sites up and running by November 1, asking governors to expedite the process for setting up these facilities.

But health departments that have been underfunded for decades say they currently lack the staff, money and tools to educate people about vaccines and then to distribute, administer and track doses to some 330 million people.

Many doctors, nurses and health officials are expressing concerns about the country's readiness to conduct mass vaccinations, as well as frustration with months of inconsistent information from the federal government.

The gaps include figuring out how officials will keep track of who has gotten which doses and how they'll keep the workers who give the shots safe, with enough protective gear and syringes to do their jobs.

The unprecedented pace of vaccine development has left many Americans skeptical about the safety of COVID-19 immunizations.

For the U.S. to reach herd immunity against the coronavirus, most experts say, the nation would need to vaccinate about 70 percent of Americans, which translates to 200 million people and, because the first vaccines will require two doses to be effective, 400 million shots.

When vaccines are ready, health departments will need more staffers to identify people at high risk for COVID-19, who should get the vaccine first.

Public health staff also will be needed to educate the public about the importance of vaccines and to administer shots, she said, as well as monitor patients and report serious side effects.

Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease expert, said he was concerned about an "October surprise" with a vaccine being rushed through ahead of the election.

He said there was a "credibility gap" between doctors and the FDA about how rigorously products are being evaluated during the pandemic.

Some state officials said Wednesday that they were working on next steps while still awaiting details from CDC, and some sounded a cautious note.

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