That day-vaccine shortages can disrupt distribution after the first 100 million injections

From Washington-The United States needs to act faster to vaccinate the public against the coronavirus, but President Joe Biden’s goal of accelerating more than 100 million shots in 100 days is a vaccine It can be hindered by insufficient doses of the virus, said the director of the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I think supply will probably be the most restrictive constraint early on,” Warrensky said on Fox News Sunday. “I really hope there will be more production in the first 100 days.” Told.

“We really want to get more vaccines, which will increase the pace at which we can get vaccinated,” she said.

Scientists are challenged by trying to understand variants of the coronavirus as authorities encourage inoculation efforts to help eradicate pandemics. Anthony Fauci, senior government infectious disease expert and Biden’s chief medical adviser on pandemics, said the first coronavirus variants detected in the UK were more deadly and spread faster.

In CBS News’ Face the Nation, Forch said, “What is called pathogenicity is increasing because what is predominantly distributed in the UK causes more damage, including death. Must be assumed. “

On Saturday, the United States reported more than 1.3 million newly administered doses of the coronavirus vaccine, and the country exceeded one million daily doses for the fifth consecutive day, according to data tracked by the Washington Post. I did. The pace suggests that the country is already on track to reach the Biden administration’s 100-day goal. This goal, which was criticized as unrealistic when Biden announced it in December, is now less ambitious due to increased manufacturing certainty and accelerated inoculation pace at the end of the Trump administration. It seems that.

Biden defended the vaccination goal on Thursday. “When I announced it, you said it was impossible. Come on, give me a break, man. It’s a good start.”

Biden officials have said that the number of 100 million people has been their starting point, not their ultimate goal since then.

The country seems to have avoided the worst-case scenario of a surge in the wake of holiday gatherings, but experts say the virus threat could be exacerbated by the emergence of new variants.

Up to 100 sites operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency may begin offering coronavirus vaccines later next month. This is an expansion of the federal government’s role in the fight against pandemics.

According to the latest guidance from the CDC, the first vaccinated person can schedule a second vaccination after up to 6 weeks if the vaccination is not within the recommended time frame. “If you can’t do that in 21 or 28 days, you’re just assuring your clinician that you have the margin and flexibility,” said Kristen Nordland, a spokeswoman for the CDC.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke in a statement Friday about the coronavirus mutants that are currently predominant in his country and said they “may be associated with higher mortality.”

“We have every reason to believe in them,” Forch said on Sunday in a Johnson statement. “We want to see the data ourselves,” he added.

Its variants of the virus are thought to circulate at relatively low levels in the United States. The CDC warned that within two weeks, perhaps within a few months, it would become the dominant stock in the country.

Forch said the stronger toxicity of the strain “is likely, but cannot be stated clearly,” because the United States has not performed sufficient genomic testing to identify the strain with a positive test result. It was.

“There are many moves in the CDC to dramatically increase genomic surveillance,” he said.

In her interview on Fox News Sunday, Walensky said health officials are increasing surveillance and research of variants and monitoring their effects on vaccines. She called their appearance a signal that “more vaccines need to be released.”

Mentioning supply constraints, the Biden administration said it was working with manufacturers to address the issue and increase production by March.

“One of the biggest problems right now is that we can’t tell you the amount of vaccine we have. If you can’t tell it, I can tell it to the governor. I can’t tell that to the state health authorities. “

The lack of that data makes it difficult for state leaders to plan the distribution of vaccines, she said.

The day before and a few days after she took over to the CDC, Warrensky had to square the amount of vaccine dose available in to determine vaccination goals and when to expand the group eligible for it. I said it publicly repeatedly. America.

In an interview with NBC on Thursday, she was overly optimistic that the Trump administration’s Supreme Health Authority would predict that the coronavirus vaccine would be widely available to Americans by late February or early March at the end of last year. I suggested that there was.

“I don’t think we’ll be vaccinated at all pharmacies in the country in late February,” Warensky said. She said the new administration would adhere to the 100-day goal: “We … want to be very aware of the fact that there are still many Americans in need of the vaccine after 100 days, so we are on metal. Step in and get as many vaccines as you can. “

Forch said on Sunday that it may be difficult to maintain a recent pace as more vaccinations take place in the wider community outside of controlled environments such as hospitals and nursing homes.

Vivek Murthy, a candidate for Biden’s President of Surgeons, called for investment in treatment strategies, testing, and contact tracing. In particular, with the spread of “more susceptible” coronavirus variants.

“The variant is actually a shot beyond the bow. The virus is basically going to keep changing, and we need to be prepared for it,” Mercy said in a “week” on ABC News on Sunday. Said. “The bottom line is that we are competing with these variants and the virus will change. It is our responsibility to adapt and make sure we are ahead.”

Mercy also pushed back criticism of Biden’s goal of 100 million vaccinations, saying, “It’s not the upper limit. It’s the reality of what we’re facing, what works and what doesn’t. It’s also a goal to reflect. “

“I think President Biden fully understands that there is a bigger goal here, as we all do. It says we have to vaccinate as many Americans as possible. That’s it, “Mercy said. “And it will require a lot of work-dispelling false information, [vaccine] Increased supply and distribution channels. “

In an interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain also defended the target, calling it a “very bold and ambitious goal.” He said it was “not our ultimate goal”, but only the administration’s first goal.

“The country hasn’t shot 100 million shots in 100 days, so I think it’s going to be a big win,” Crane said on Sunday. “But obviously, we’re not going to stop there. That is, 100 million people (100 million shots) is a bold and ambitious goal, but we need to continue.”

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The Washington Post cat Zakrzewski contributed to this report.