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MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) – With more than 40 million doses of coronavirus vaccines available, U.S. health officials are confident it awaits for their first vaccines for both qualified older Americans seeking a booster and young children will be sufficient will be approved in the not too distant future.
The increase in demand – which was expected after the federal recommendation last week for booster injections – would be the first significant jump in months. More than 70 million Americans remain unvaccinated despite the lure of lottery winnings, free food or gifts, and pleas from exhausted health care workers as the average number of deaths per day has risen to more than 1,900 in the past few weeks.
Federal and state health officials said the current supply and steady production of more doses can easily accommodate those who want a booster or primary vaccination, repeating the frustratingly slow roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines across the country earlier this year is avoided.
“I hope we have interest in the booster … that we need more vaccines,” said Colorado Governor Jared Polis on Tuesday. “We are simply not today. We have a lot of vaccines. “
Thanks to the robust supply in the US, President Joe Biden was able to promise an additional 500 million Covid-19 vaccinations from Pfizer this week to share with the world, doubling the United States’s global contribution. Aid groups and health organizations have urged the United States and other countries to improve access to vaccines in countries where even the most vulnerable have not had a chance.
One of the challenges that countries face is not to order too many cans and to leave them unused. Several states with low vaccination rates, including Idaho and Kansas, have reported throwing away thousands of expired doses or having difficulty using vaccines that are about to expire this fall.
While most vaccines can stay unopened on the shelf for months, the clock starts ticking as soon as a vial is opened. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, vaccines can only be used for six to 12 hours, depending on the manufacturer.
Moderna vaccines are available in 11 to 15 dose vials. Pfizer vials contain up to six doses and Johnson & Johnson vials contain five doses.
“We will see more doses that go unused over time,” said Wisconsin Health Secretary Karen Timberlake. “They come in multidose files. They don’t come in nice, neat individual portion packs. “
State health officials said they tried to request only what health care providers and pharmacies expect from federal supplies. Those numbers have declined since vaccines became generally available in the spring.
But US officials – who hope some of the unvaccinated will change their minds – are trying to keep enough vaccines on hand for all Americans to get.
This balancing act is difficult and can cause dismay around the world as the US is sitting on unused vaccines while many countries in places like Africa are not getting enough vaccines.
“Somebody who sits in a country with few resources to access vaccines and sees people in the US go to a pharmacy and get that vaccine and decide against it, that is bound to cause grief,” said Jen Kates, senior vice president and Director of Global Health and HIV Policy for the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, which represents health officials in all 50 US states, the District of Columbia and the US territories, said officials expect the available doses of COVID-19 vaccines and manufacturers’ ability to supply more will meet demand across the country.
“I think states have tried to plan as if everyone were being offered a refresher,” he said, suggesting that they were over-prepared for closer recommendations from the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California, for example, estimated earlier this month that it would need to deliver an additional 63 million doses by the end of 2022 – if initial vaccinations were approved for children under the age of 12 and boosters were open to everyone.
U.S. health officials late Thursday advocated booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine for all Americans aged 65 and over – along with tens of millions of younger people at higher risk from the coronavirus because of health conditions or work.
California has the lowest transmission rate of any state with nearly 40 million residents, and nearly 70% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated. This means that almost 12 million people are not or not fully vaccinated.
Dr. California Minister of Health, Mark Ghaly, said the state will rely largely on pharmacies and family doctors to provide refresher courses to seniors, while some large counties and health groups will use mass vaccination sites.
In Pennsylvania, more than 67% of residents over 18 are fully vaccinated. Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam said health officials now have “two missions”: continuing to convince people to get vaccinated and serving those who want a booster or initial vaccination.
“Pennsylvania is being prepared,” said Beam. “And we will have the right amount of vaccines and vaccinees to meet that demand.”
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Foody reports from Chicago. Associated Press Writer Scott Bauer of Madison, Wisconsin; and Patty Nieberg in Denver contributed to this.
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Nieberg is a corps member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a not-for-profit national utility that places journalists on local newsrooms to cover undercover issues.
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