Now @ASlavitt explaining why such a big difference between vaccines distributed and vaccines administered....
1. Initial delay created a backlog of 2nd doses, waiting at states. Three weeks for Prizer, four weeks for Moderna.
2. As people come back for second shots, @ASlavitt says efficiency should continue to improve.
3. As of Jan 20, states had administered 40% of inventory. Now at 62%.

"We are focused on this every hour of every day," says @ASlavitt
4. Some providers regularly holding back doses intended as first doses, to keep for second doses.

"We understand this has been a direct result of lack of predictability."

@ASlavitt says this is one reason for new 3-week shipment window. Says providers don't need to hold back.

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More from @CitizenCohn

30 Jan
According to the article, the situation on the ground is a "mess."

Some expectation setting here, I'm sure. But every problem the article mentions is consistent w/what reporters (including me) have been hearing.

E.g., lots of doses tied up in chain pharmacy LTC program.
To see the impact of the LTC program on the data, let's look at Michigan, a state I've followed closely. (Thread to follow)

Total doses distributed = 1.48 Million
Total doses administered = 909K

So that's 65%. But...
Note asterisk on the distribution number. 430K are set aside for the federal LTC program. Of those, just 100K have been administered.

State isn't directly controlling that supply, at least according to Michigan officials. It's in the hands of CVS/Walgreens, they say.
Read 7 tweets
29 Jan
At White House COVID briefing, Fauci calls results from Janssen/J&J "very encouraging"

Says the most important finding is the efficacy against severe disease and death. "We have now a value-added additional vaccine candidate."
But Fauci also warning that we're seeing some vaccines less effective against some variants.

"This is a wake up call to all of us," he says -- we need to vaccinate quickly, and be prepared to modify existing vaccines to adapt.
Now @ASlavitt talking, gives a shout-out to seven states that have already vaccinated more than 10% of population:

Alaska, West Virginia, New Mexico, Connecticut, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota
Read 9 tweets
27 Jan
If you want to know more about how the administration is approaching the pandemic, I highly recommend the new @ezraklein podcast (now at @nytimes). First guest: @vivek_murthy nytimes.com/2021/01/26/opi…
This exchange in particular deserves emphasis -- i.e., how the difficulty isn't any one thing.

So it's not supply or distribution. It's supply *and* distribution. With a different situation in every community. And conditions that will change with time. Image
Biden's strategy reflects this. It's got many small parts, no single one of which is a game-changer. But together they add up.

Or, at least, we hope they add up. The test will be execution.

One thing to put these ideas on a piece of paper. Another to put them into action.
Read 4 tweets
27 Jan
With two-dose regimen, @ASlavitt says, it will take 500M+ doses to vaccinate everybody 16 and older.

(J&J, which is single dose, would reduce number)

"We are not counting on things that aren't in existence today."
It will be months before vaccines will be available to everybody, @ASlavitt warns. Supply will increase, distribution will improve, but not overnight.
"We're going to make sure we get six doses out of every Pfizer vial" says @ASlavitt

(He's talking about acquiring the syringes to get the extra dose consistently.)
Read 12 tweets
26 Jan
Biden administration says it is "working to purchase" 200M more shots from Pfizer/Moderna.

If that happens, it would be enough supply to reach nearly the whole population by end of summer. huffpost.com/entry/biden-ad…
Caveats...

-- "Working to purchase" is not the same as "purchased." Unclear how far conversations have gone, whether companies can supply.

-- Does not count J&J, which if it comes online soon would dramatically increase supply on its own.
Biden speaking now:

"We believe we will soon be able to confirm" purchase of 100M more from Pfizer and Moderna each, for 200M.

Extra supply would start beginning summer, he says.
Read 5 tweets
17 Jan
Thread:

There's a lot going on this week, I know, but want to draw your attention to a pair of new books that are quite relevant to what's been happening in U.S. politics -- and where we could go in the next few years. (1)
One is Kill Switch, by @AJentleson nytimes.com/2021/01/04/boo…

It's a history of the filibuster and how it has contributed to gridlock and widespread disillusionment with politics. (2)
I especially liked the focus on John Calhoun, who promoted the idea of a "minority veto" to protect Southern slave states.

I'm a bit of a Calhoun obsessive and -- like @jbouie -- think it's a straight line from his arguments to the dynamics of today. (3) nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Read 10 tweets

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