January 21, 2021

It has been 42 days since the FDA authorized the first emergency use authorization for the Covid-19 vaccine (December 11, 2020) and 39 days since the first vaccine was administered to a United States citizen (December 14, 2020).

Since that time the federal government, through its partnership with pharmaceutical manufacturers, has delivered 36 million doses to states and territories of the United States, on average about 1 million doses a day.  Of that number, the CDC reports that some 14.3 million people have received one dose of the vaccine and 2.2 million have received the prescribed two doses – a total of 16.5 million doses administered, on average about 460,000 doses a day.

Why the lag?

With the need to provide two doses within a 21 or 28 day period to each individual and the fact that the vaccine has a limited shelf life, 5 or 30 days or so after thawing, there is a very delicate logistical balance that needs to be achieved between when vaccine is produced, distributed, opened and administered. Every step must be aligned and no one can get too far ahead of another in the chain of events before a person receives the vaccine in their arm.

Voices in the media as well as politicians criticize the federal government for a too slow rollout while the federal government criticizes states for inept distribution and administration of the vaccines that have been delivered. The states assert there is not enough vaccine being delivered (based on the problems some states have had to date in rolling out their appointment systems it is highly doubtful that they could efficiently administer a bigger supply anyway) and the federal government points to the fact they are dependent on the production capability of the pharmaceutical companies who in turn point to a lack in the supplies necessary to make the vaccine.

Some have criticized the federal government for not contracting with manufacturers for enough vaccine but that shows very little understanding (or willingness to accept the fact) that the manufacturers generating the vaccine approved under emergency use authorization are doing so for more than just the United States. 

In fact, there are only two messages that should be resonating within each of us right now, The first is that in only one year we have, through the miracle of science and the dedication of scientists and private industry working with our government, developed a vaccine in record time. The second is that patience is a virtue and that normalcy is on the relatively immediate horizon for all of us.  

Other than to score political points, finger pointing does no one any good and detracts from, if not outright contradicts, the mantra of unity that is the hallmark of our new administration.