Georgia Vaccine Distribution Problem-And Possible Solutions

Atlanta — You probably know that there are now national problems with vaccine deployment. In Georgia, websites have crashed, telephone systems have been overwhelmed, and COVID cases continue to grow.

The American Hospital Association estimates that 1.8 million people will need to be vaccinated daily from now until May to reach widespread immunity.

There are three main issues identified in the rollout by experts and three possible solutions.

The federal government has released vaccines to the states.According to the tracker Centers for Disease Control and Prevention websiteSo far, 25 million doses have been distributed to the state. However, at the time of this article, only 9 million people received the first dose. It is up to each state to handle the distribution of vaccines, forcing local and state health authorities to develop their own vaccine plans for who and how to vaccinate.

Senate Democrat I sent a letter to the Trump administration on Monday Requesting it will change your deployment strategy.

“Even the vaccines assigned to spreadsheets, or even the vaccines that are distributed and sit on ourselves, are not enough to protect anyone,” he wrote.

In their letter, a Democratic senator wrote that the Trump administration should issue a comprehensive national plan. This could include support for state and health authorities about what is needed to manage shots.

“I think local public health is doing its best to use the resources they have. Frankly, that’s not enough,” said Dr. Harry Heymann, Faculty of Public Health, Georgia State University. Says.

According to the Associated Press, Health officials were worried that they might not have the money, so tools and staff to effectively distribute the vaccine.

“Historically, we’ve under-invested in public health, but the entire pandemic hasn’t provided the state’s necessary resources as needed,” Hyman agreed.

Proper distribution of vaccines requires proper storage, tracking, and scheduling of appointments. To do this, you need the right staff and funding.

Heimann said: “{Georgia is funded by over 2 billion rainy days. If there were times when we needed to use those rainy day funds to keep the people of our state safe, now is the time. That time. “

Parliamentarians have already joined the fund last year to achieve their goals. However, Governor Brian Kemp will soon publish a budget proposal, giving a better picture of how much money can or should be spent on vaccine planning.

The American Hospital Association, which represents approximately 5,000 hospitals and healthcare systems in the United States, I sent a letter to the Trump administration, Demand more federal dollars to support the distribution of vaccines.

The Senate Democrats also called for a federal plan from the Trump administration to include how the government would fund health authorities.

If all this sounds familiar, that’s why. At the beginning of the pandemic, the state faced issues with websites, long lines, confusion, contact tracing, and access to PPE equipment for medical staff.

Well, the record seems to be repeating.

But when states like Georgia expanded their test sites, it helped relieve the pressure to get people in and out faster.

Currently, the state continues to struggle to get people the first dose and is far less likely to complete the vaccination process. The Trump administration is withholding about half of the available dose to ensure sufficient amounts for the required second shot.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, Director of Pfizer Withholding may not be the answer, and stockpiled medicines should be distributed nationwide to get their first shots to more people

“Given the fact that this is the most important part of the epidemic and we run a small risk that the second dose may be delayed, we think we can now push out more vaccines. “I will,” he told NBC News.

Some cities, such as Oregon and New Jersey, have been successful on mass vaccination sites. San Diego recently turned its tailgate parking lot into a vaccination headquarters, hoping to inoculate at least 5,000 people per day.

“They drive in, roll windows, nurses come in to vaccinate, and observers monitor them for 15 minutes to make sure there is no response,” he said. Patty Macent, CEO of the University of California, San Diego Health..

A letter from lawmakers also said the government should consider “strengthening support for mass vaccination clinics and mobile testing units.”

The Georgia Public Health Service is currently discussing with 11Alive to create a “centralized system of vaccination and / or mass vaccination sites to provide additional access to vaccines, where vaccine supply allows.” Told.