"It has become abundantly clear that not only has the Trump administration botched the rollout of the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, but also that the American people have been misled about these delays", the governors stated.
"Operation Warp Speed achieved in nine months what many doubted would be possible in a year and a half or more".
Governor Brown tweeted she considers the actions "deception on a national scale", and that seniors, teachers and others in OR were counting on those extra doses from the reserve.
Staff/Getty Images Alex Azar, new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, speaks after being sworn in as President Donald J. Trump looks on January 29, 2018 at The White House in Washington, DC. The booster shots come three to four weeks after administering the first dose of the vaccine.
Confusion over a vaccine supply windfall that was promised to governors but failed to materialize arose as scattered shortages emerged on the frontlines of the most ambitious and complex immunization campaign in USA history, prompting at least one large NY healthcare system to cancel a slew of inoculation appointments. Operation Warp Speed is the Trump administration's initiative for vaccine distribution.
Further exacerbating the confusion was a new program that would give more doses to states administering them the fastest.
"And then we read, as everybody else, that they have reneged on that, or for whatever reason are unable to deliver on that", Newsom said.
Azar's resignation came at such a critical moment that despite the Trump administration's recently announced plan to release all the coronavirus vaccines originally in reserve for second shots, multiple USA media reported that such reserves actually no longer existed.
"I do not believe I misunderstood", Allen said and confirmed that OR would have to delay its plan to vaccinate seniors on January 23 since no surge in the vaccine is available. "People are desperate for the vaccine, and we have worked so hard to be able to expand who's eligible, and to not be able to do it is just crushing right now".
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said he was "extremely disappointed" that Azar had "lied to" his state. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said his state would receive an extra 50,000 shots, but national officials clarified the program would not start for two weeks. "The stockpile appears to be all on paper; they were tracking anticipated need but not actually holding back product".
"The deliberate actions we took over a week ago have put us in this position and we'll continue to take deliberation actions in order to get more vaccines in arms", she said. She also noted that there's a risk that citizens will not be inoculated correctly if the government isn't able to provide reliable numbers for its vaccine supply.
Trump administration officials finally began giving Biden's team access to critical Covid-19 vaccination data this week. But the administration's inconsistent estimates on the number of vaccines has been problematic for conditions.
After Governor Walz and eight other governors sent a letter to Secretary Azar last week requesting that the federal government distribute the millions of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses that are now being held back by the Trump administration, the administration announced that they will release the available vaccine doses.
"State and local jurisdictions are eager for more doses to expand vaccination to older Americans while continuing to vaccinate health care and essential front-line workers", Hannan added. The belief of many in state governments was that the federal government would be able to suddenly ramp up distribution with the new directive.
