Dave Chappelle has canceled performances scheduled at Stubbs in Austin, Texas after testing positive for COVID-19, TMZ reports and Chappelle’s representative confirmed to Pitchfork. The canceled dates were among a handful the comedian had booked through this weekend. He had already performed the first of the Austin gigs on Wednesday. Tickets are being refunded.
“Chappelle has safely conducted socially-distanced shows in Ohio since June 2020 and he moved those shows to Austin during the winter,” a statement from Chappelle’s representative reads. “Chappelle implemented COVID-19 protocols which included rapid testing for the audience and daily testing for himself and his team. His diligent testing enabled him to immediately respond by quarantining, thus mitigating the spread of the virus. Chappelle is asymptomatic.”
Chappelle began hosting outdoor, socially distanced performances in his current home state of Ohio since June. His guests included Common, Tiffany Haddish, John Mayer, and several others. After hosting a block party to celebrate the Fourth of July, Chappelle emceed the first post-election episode of Saturday Night Live at the beginning of November.
Earlier this week, Chappelle was photographed maskless with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, and Grimes. Grimes posted about her own recent experience with the virus on January 9.
A Texas doctor has been charged with stealing nine doses of the coveted COVID-19 vaccine while working at a county vaccination site, prosecutors announced Thursday.
Dr. Hasan Gokal, who worked with the Harris County Public Health system, is accused of stealing a vial that contained the doses from a vaccination site in Humble on Dec. 29, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement.
A week later, Gokal bragged about the theft to a co-worker, who then complained to his supervisors, Ogg said.
Gokal was later fired from his job.
Ogg said Gokal stole the doses to give them to his family and friends, leaving those who need a shot the most without one.
“He abused his position to place his friends and family in line in front of people who had gone through the lawful process to be there,” Ogg said of Gokal. “What he did was illegal and he’ll be held accountable under the law.”
Lawyer Paul Doyle defended his client arguing the vaccine would have expired anyway.
“Dr. Gokal is a dedicated public servant who ensured that COVID-19 vaccine dosages that would have otherwise expired went into the arms of people who met the criteria for receiving it,” Doyle said in a statement to KHOU11.
“Harris County would have preferred Dr. Gokal let the vaccines go to waste and are attempting to disparage this man’s reputation in the process to support this policy. We look forward to our day in court to right this wrong,” the lawyer continued.
Gokal faces up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
Stock image. | Photo by Nature/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News
ST. GEORGE — The first weekend of COVID-19 vaccination appointments being opened up for local residents ages 70 and oldersaw all reservation slots for the rest of the month fill quickly. Due to technical glitches, some residents expressed frustration with trying to get inoculated against the virus that has infected 23,300 and killed 191 people locally since March, including a record-high five people announced Thursday.
Stock photo. | Photo by Arindam Ghosh/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News
The spokesman for the local health department said the problem has not been a lack of manpower or a lack of capabilities – it has been a lack of supply.
Spokesperson David Heaton said the Southwest Utah Public Health Department has been receiving 2,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. That supply is not just for the approximately 35,000 people locally who are 70 and older, but for school staff, first responders and non-hospital medical personnel who also qualify right now for the vaccine in Utah.
“At this rate, it would take two months to get people in this group vaccinated. So when the state asked us what help we need, there’s only one answer: We need more vaccines,” Heaton said, adding that the department has an abundance of manpower that could handle a large influx of vaccine supply on day one. “We have staff trained to handle this. We have the staff to do 2,000 a day.”
The wish for more vaccines may have been granted Thursday.
On the second day of his administration, President Joe Biden signed an emergency order Thursday to boost COVID-19 vaccine production and distribution. The order, announced on the one-year anniversary of when the first COVID-19 case was detected in the U. S., is part of a 200-page COVID-19 plan released by the White House.
The order activated the Defense Production Act – the same act used during World War II to boost wartime production – to drastically increase production of both the vaccines as well as the equipment like syringes to administer them.
In this May 2017 file photo, then former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. June 1, 2017 | Steven Senne/Associated Press/St. George News
The plan calls for 100 million Americans to receive their first dose of the vaccine by May 1. According to the Associated Press, 12.3 million Americans have been vaccinated since late December.
As of Thursday, the Utah Department of Health says 12,887 people in Southern Utah have received their first dose of the vaccine, while 487 people have received their second dose to be fully inoculated. There have 173,587 first doses in the state as a whole.
The more federally-based Biden strategy on COVID-19 vaccine distribution differs from the strategy of the administration of President Donald Trump, which focused on each state relying on its own vaccine policies and distribution. During the recording of the PBS Utah Monthly Governor’s Press Conference Thursday, Gov. Spencer Cox said he welcomed the federal initiative.
“We are excited about this announcement. I’ve just perused through it, but it’s a good thing,” Cox said. “They’re doing the same thing we’ve been doing here with our local health departments.”
Cox gave particular praise to the president’s change to provide 100% federal reimbursement for emergency COVID-19 supplies and the use of national guardsmen to administer COVID-19 tests and vaccines. Until now, the state has had to foot 25% of the bill.
Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox, right, arrives for a COVID-19 briefing at the Utah State Capitol. Jan. 8, 2021, Salt Lake City, Utah | Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred/Deseret News/Associated Press, St. George News
Cox defended his order earlier in the month that local health districts use up their vaccine supply within seven days. He said the only alternative to that was a slower rollout that would have left vaccine supply sitting in freezers and refrigerators.
“I had to choose between two problems. Either doses sitting on shelves or a crush of people,” Cox said, adding a slower approach would have left the possibility of vaccine sitting unused for too long and needing to be thrown away – something that has been experienced in other states. “I would rather be struck trying to get it than it being thrown away.”
Large vaccination clinic in the plans locally
Another part of the White House vaccine plan is for the creation of larger, mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics nationwide. Some cities are already utilizing stadiums and convention centers to inoculate large amounts of people at once.
A patient receives a flu vaccination from their car at an annual flu shootout, date and location not specified | Photo courtesy of the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, St. George News
Heaton said the Southwest Utah Public Health Department already has a plan to have such a mass clinic and use last September’s flu vaccination “shootout” at the fairgrounds in Washington County Regional Park as a dry run.
“Our flu shootout was in preparation for the vaccine rollout, but the vaccine supply has been more of a trickle so that was scaled down to our offices,” Heaton said, adding that if the supply comes in, they have the staff to immediately move to much larger COVID-19 vaccination clinics. “We’re prepared to do that. We’ve never reached our limit.”
Until the federal reinforcement of vaccine supply arrives, there’s the matter of dealing with the present high-demand, low-supply status of getting people inoculated locally against the virus.
Heaton said Southern Utah has a unique problem compared to the rest of the state, which has a younger demographic.
“The fact is our older demographic is higher than other counties in the state, Heaton said.
A woman named Elizabeth receives COVID-19 vaccination shot from a nurse at the Southwest Utah Public Health Department offices in Cedar City, Utah, Jan. 12, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
Heaton said one issue the department thinks it has fixed is its technical ones, which caused their website to go down several times during vaccination sign-ups earlier this week. The state has provided some aid in this matter.
“Our hosting service made some mistakes so that was confusing,” Heaton said. “We are now hosted by Utah state service which should be robust.”
The reservation slots – for at least the first week of February and possibly the second – are expected to go online through SignUpGenius at 9 a.m. Monday. At the same time, residents will also be able to utilize a hotline at 435-986-2549, though the department said it prefers that people try signing up online first.
“It will be a rush, but hopefully the website will be able to handle it a lot better,” Heaton said.
Second doses get their own place in line
While most Southern Utahns still await getting their first shot of the vaccine, the time is coming up for those that received the vaccine when it was first rolled out to receive the second of two COVID-19 vaccine shots.
Two of the COVID-19 vaccines are seen at Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George, Utah, on Dec. 16, 2020. | Photo courtesy of Intermountain Healthcare, St. George News
On Thursday, the local health department announced they will not have to compete with the already high demand of others for reservation slots. The Southwest Utah Public Health Department will be holding separate second-shot clinics.
“We’re looking at doing second-dose clinics separately so people may be relieved that they won’t have to compete for slots with those getting their first shots,” Heaton said.
The move comes after the governor announced that like the first doses, the second-dose supply will need to be used within seven days by a local health department or it will go back into the vaccine supply chain.
Second-doses will utilize the same SignUpGenius online form as the first-injection clinics and are also going online Monday.
And like the first-dose clinics, reservation slots may go quicker than the hottest toy of the season on Black Friday. However, Heaton and other health experts say that while a person has to wait 28 days before their second dose, they don’t have to get that second injection on the 28th day.
“There’s not a maximum waiting period so if you can’t get it on the 28th day, you have some leeway,” he said.
Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine
Those who can currently get the vaccine: Everyone ages 70 and over. K-12 teachers and staff, those that work in nonhospital health care facilities (those in clinics, pharmacies, dentists or other medical offices) and first responders, including law enforcement, firefighters and EMTs.
Must register in advance online for an appointment time. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
Must have a personal ID, employment ID (if necessary) and wear a short-sleeve shirt at appointment.
Must get the vaccine in the county you reside in. Proof of residency is required. Part-time residents can get vaccinated with proof of residency.
Vaccines are free of charge.
Those without email addresses or unable to make reservations online can get help at a specialized hotline at 435-986-2549.
Washington County:
Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department St. George office, 620 S 400 East, 2nd Floor Conference Room, St. George, 84770
When: First dose Jan. 29 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Feb. 4 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m; Second dose Feb. 1 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Feb. 3 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
First dose Jan. 29 click to register (opening up Monday)
First dose Feb. 4 click to register (opening up Monday)
Second dose Feb. 1 click to register (opening up Monday)
Second dose Feb. 3 click to register (opening up Monday)
Iron County:
Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Cedar City office, 260 DL Sargent Dr., Cedar City, 84721.
When: First dose Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (full), Feb. 2 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.; Second dose Feb. 3 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m; K-12 teachers and staff-only clinic Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (full).
First dose click to register (opening up Monday)
Second dose click to register (opening up Monday)
Kane County:
Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Kanab office, 445 N. Main St., Kanab 84741.
When: To be announced
Click to register
Garfield County:
Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Panguitch office, 601 Center St. Panguitch 84759.
When: To be announced
Click to register (opening up Monday)
Beaver County:
Where: Southwest Utah Public Health Department Beaver Office, 75 1175 North, Beaver 84713.
When: To be announced
(All slots full) Click to register
COVID-19 information resources
St. George News has made every effort to ensure the information in this story is accurate at the time it was written. However, as the situation and science surrounding the coronavirus continues to evolve, it’s possible that some data has changed.
Check the resources below for up-to-date information and resources.
Southern Utah coronavirus count (as of Jan. 15, 2020, seven-day average in parentheses)
Positive COVID-19 tests: 22,355 (199.1 new infections per day in seven days, falling since Jan. 14)
Washington County: 17,129 (135 per day, falling)
Iron County: 3,988 (53.6 per day, falling)
Kane County: 378 (3 per day, falling)
Garfield County: 378 (2.1 per day, falling)
Beaver County: 482 (5.2 per day, falling)
New infections for major Southern Utah cities (numbers released ahead of Southern Utah numbers):
St. George: 68 (falling)
Washington City: 23 (rising)
Hurricane/LaVerkin: 14 (rising)
Ivins City/Santa Clara: 11 (rising)
Cedar City: 40 (falling)
Deaths: 191 (2.9 per day, falling)
Washington County: 155 (11 new since last report: Hospitalized female 65-84, hospitalized male 65-84, long-term care female over 85, hospitalized female 65-84, hospitalized male 65-84, female 45-64 at home, hospitalized male 65-84, long-term care male over 84, long-term care female 65-84, long-term care male 65-84, long-term care male 65-84)
Iron County: 20 (1 new: Long-term care female 65-84)
Garfield County: 9 (2 new: Long-term care female over 85, long-term care male 65-84)
Number of initial vaccine injections in Southern Utah: 12,887
Number of fully vaccinated in Southern Utah: 487
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.
Chris Reed serves as weekend editor and reporter for St. George News. He has steadily moved east after growing up among the Valley girls of Southern California’s San Fernando Valley. He graduated from Cal State Northridge before spending a decade in Las Vegas. As a sports reporter and editor, he once compared shoe sizes with Shaq. As a news reporter and editor, he has covered parades, triumphs and tragedies. He also once got close to the stars doing publicity for a space module builder. He came to St. George for love and has grown to love the community. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.
The Japanese government has “privately concluded” that the 2021 Olympic Games will have to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report from Richard Lloyd Parry of The Times.
“No one wants to be the first to say so but the consensus is that it’s too difficult,” a source told Lloyd Parry. “Personally, I don’t think it’s going to happen.”
Japan is now reportedly trying to find a “face-saving way of announcing the cancellation that leaves open the possibility of Tokyo playing host at a later date.”
The Times @thetimes
The Japanese government has privately concluded that the Tokyo Olympics will have to be cancelled because of the coronavirus, and the focus is now on securing the Games for the city in the next available year, 2032 https://t.co/bsuB9wMt30
Publicly and officially, both the International Olympic Committee and Japanese Olympic organizers have been resolute in the assertion that the Games will happen, per the Associated Press. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga called holding the 2021 games “proof of human victory against the coronavirus.”
But IOC senior member Dick Pound said he “can’t be certain” the Games will take place because “the ongoing elephant in the room would be the surges in the virus.” Japanese minister Taro Kono, a member of Suga’s cabinet, added that “anything is possible” and attempts to hold the Games “could go either way.”
Keith Mills, deputy chair of the organizing committee for the 2012 Olympics in London, told the BBC Tuesday (h/t the AP) that he believes cancellation plans have likely already been concocted.
“But I think they’ll leave it until absolutely the last minute in case the situation improves dramatically, in case the vaccinations roll out faster than we all hope,” he said. “It’s a tough call, I wouldn’t like to be in their shoes.”
IOC President Thomas Bach looked to quell some of the talk that the Games could be canceled.
“We have, at this moment, no reason whatsoever to believe that the Olympic Games in Tokyo will not open on the 23rd of July in the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo,” hetold the Kyodo News (h/t Victor Mather of the New York Times). “There is no Plan B.”
He added that Beijing’s Winter Olympics in 2022 were still on track to take place as scheduled.
The Tokyo Games were originally scheduled for the summer of 2020 but postponed due to the coronavirus. With uncertainties regarding the state of the pandemic come July and question marks regarding the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, this year’s event remains up in the air.
If the Summer Olympics are canceled, it would be for the first time since World War II and could cost the IOC over $1 billion in television revenue, per Mather. The IOC is a non-profit organization, but “90 percent of the revenues from the Games go straight back into sport and athlete development.”
A total of 2,458 Humboldt County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, after 31 new cases were reported today.
Humboldt County Public Health and local providers have resumed using Lot 041L20A of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine after the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced it was safe to administer.
CDPH had asked counties to pause use of the lot when seven vaccine recipients at a single location in San Diego experienced severe allergic reactions. The agency, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and Moderna, found that there was “no scientific basis to continue the pause.”
Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman said he was grateful to the state for acting quickly to ensure the safety of the vaccine supply and added that he is excited to resume distribution of all vaccine on hand. “There’s a system in place to detect any issues with the vaccine, and that system worked,” he said. “Public Health has 3,170 doses on hand to administer. More than 2,500 of those were affected by this pause—600 first doses and 1,900 second doses—and we want people to know they’re safe.” The remainder of the Moderna lot was distributed to local health care providers, and all are clear to resume administering those doses.
“Given the severity of this pandemic, any delay in vaccination is significant, so we are pleased to resume our plans to vaccinate older adults,” Dr. Hoffman said.
On Wednesday, 285 people were vaccinated at Public Health vaccination clinics with an estimated 290 additional vaccinations expected to be administered today and about 400 appointments scheduled for Friday. Local health care providers also continue to provide vaccinations to their patients. Appointments are invitation only and currently prioritized for Phase 1A health care workers who have not received their first dose and residents over the age of 75.
Providers approved to administer vaccine will reach out directly to their patients who are over 75 as vaccine becomes available. For those who do not have a provider or whose doctor is not an approved vaccinator, the Humboldt County Joint Information Center is developing an online interest form for individuals to submit to be notified when vaccination appointments are available for their priority group. Additional information about the interest form will be released next week.
Read CDPH’s update on the Moderna lot at cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR21-025.aspx.
For the most recent COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours by contacting covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-441-5000.
Local COVID-19 vaccine information: humboldtgov.org/vaccineinfo Humboldt County COVID-19 Data Dashboard: humboldtgov.org/dashboard Follow us on Facebook: @HumCoCOVID19 Instagram: @HumCoCOVID19 Twitter: @HumCoCOVID19 Humboldt Health Alert: humboldtgov.org/HumboldtHealthAlert
Amid its latest COVID-19 lockdown and a promising decline in new coronavirus infections, Germany is hesitant to ease restrictions because of the risk posed by a more contagious variant.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Germany’s 16 state governors on Tuesday decided to extend the country’s lockdown by two weeks until Feb. 14 and tighten some measures, for example requiring surgical masks — rather than just fabric face coverings — in shops and on public transportation.
On Thursday, Germany’s disease control center said that 20,398 new cases were reported over the past 24 hours, nearly 5,000 fewer than a week ago. The number of new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days stood at 119, the lowest since the beginning of November — though still well above the level of 50 the government is targeting. There were 1,013 more deaths, bringing Germany’s total so far to 49,783.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
The new variant, which has been detected in Germany and many other European countries, isn’t yet dominant there, but “we must take the danger from this mutation very seriously,” Merkel told reporters.
“We must slow the spread of this mutation as far as possible, and that means … we must not wait until the danger is more tangible here,” she said. “Then it would be too late to prevent a third wave of the pandemic, and possibly an even heavier one than before. We can still prevent this.”
Merkel said that Germany won’t be able to open up everything at once whenever the lockdown ends, declaring that schools must open first.
CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
“We must be very careful that we do not see what happens in many countries: they do a hard lockdown, they open, they open too much, and then they have the result that they are back in exponential growth very quickly,” she said.
She pointed to Britain’s experience in December, when the new variant took hold.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A Harris County Public Health doctor is accused of stealing a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced.
According to a news release issued on Thursday afternoon, Dr. Hasan Gokal stole the vial that contained nine doses while working at the county vaccination site at Lyndsay Lyons Park in Humble on Dec. 29.
A week later, Gokal told a fellow Harris County Public Health employee, who then reported him to supervisors. Mishandling a vaccine can result in a loss of government funding to the county, according to Harris County Public Health officials, who first investigated the matter resulting in Gokal getting fired.
“He abused his position to place his friends and family in line in front of people who had gone through the lawful process to be there,” said Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. “What he did was illegal and he’ll be held accountable under the law.”
Gokal is being prosecuted by the Public Corruption Division of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
He’s being charged with theft by a public servant. The Class A Misdemeanor carries a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.
Eyewitness News reached out to Harris County Public Health for comment. A spokesperson issued the following statement:
“I can confirm all the details in the news release sent out by the DA’s office are accurate. Harris County Public Health took immediate action upon learning of improper handling of vaccines, to include alerting authorities. However, given that this is an ongoing investigation, we have to refer you back to the DA’s office for any comment or interviews.”
The Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi will open as a COVID-19 vaccination site Saturday, with more than 300 Oakland County Health Division employees planning to inoculate about 3,000 people.
Those to be vaccinated will receive the Moderna shot. All of the appointment slots are full, the county said Thursday in a release.
More: Some Michigan counties grapple with vaccine switch, cancel clinics
The county health division received 7,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine this week, the most amount of vaccine doses it has received in any week since vaccines started to roll out in December.
The health division notified those eligible of their opportunity to make an appointment based on the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan and the information they provided on the county’s “Save Your Spot” list in the order they were received.
More: Oakland Co. launches link to help ID those eligible, interested in COVID-19 vaccine
Vaccines will be administered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This is the first time the location is hosting one of the county’s vaccination clinics. The other clinics in Oakland County have been drive-thru sites at locations such as fire stations.
Suburban Collection Showplace previously was chosen as a site for a regional field hospital for COVID-19 patients.
More: Crews putting final touches on 250-bed hospital at Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi
This is the largest venue being used in Oakland County for vaccinations.
In Detroit, the TCF Center garage is being used to inoculate eligible Detroit residents, with more than 1,000 people scheduled each day this week to be inoculated.
The Oakland County Health Division also will be vaccinating just over 500 people by appointment only Saturday at its drive-thru vaccination clinic in Southfield. Appointments at that location also are full, according to the county’s release.
Contact Christina Hall: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter: @challreporter.
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The Biden administration is aiming to vaccinate 100 million people in 100 days, but the new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that it won’t necessarily mean calling up the local pharmacy to schedule your COVID-19 shot in the coming weeks, as was once predicted by former Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
“You know as we talk with the manufacturers and we think about the supply and eligibility, we are going to as part of our plan put the vaccine in pharmacies,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky told TODAY on Thursday. “Will it be in every pharmacy in the country by that timeline I don’t think so. As I said early on I’m going to tell you the truth here – I don’t think late February we’re going to have vaccine in every pharmacy in this country.”
Walensky said that her team has been meeting daily for some time to discuss plans that include mobile units to get vaccines to rural areas of the country, setting up community distribution centers and ensuring that there are enough available vaccinators to meet the demand.
She had previously vowed that the Biden administration would work through manufacturing bottleneck issues including invoking the Defense Production Act to ramp up supply, but a number of states are already experiencing shortages forcing thousands of canceled appointments.
STATES REPORT COVID-19 VACCINE SHORTAGES AND CANCEL APPOINTMENTS
Other mishaps due to storage temperature issues or overestimating dosage needs have resulted in wasted supply. As of Wednesday morning, the CDC reported that nearly 36 million doses had been distributed, but only 16.5 million had been administered. Previously, health officials have said the gap could be due to a lack in state reporting mixed with other shortcomings on a local level.
In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo who has received flak for his state’s lagging rollout and his initial refusal to expand the distribution eligibility is now warning that the state will exhaust its supply by the end of the week.
“What’s clear now is we’ll be going from week to week, and you will see a constant pattern of basically running out, waiting for the next week’s allocation, and starting up again,” he said.
WHY DID AMAZON WAIT UNTIL BIDEN’S INAUGURATION TO HELP WITH VACCINE DISTRIBUTION?
New York City Mayor De Blasio said as many as 23,000 people had their appointments canceled due to supply shortages, and the New York Police Department suspended first-shot vaccinations for its officers.
Elsewhere, governors blamed the Trump administration for promising to release federal supply that had already been used after it advised states to expand distribution to include people ages 65 and older.
In Oregon, Gov. Kate Brown said distribution efforts would have to be scaled back as the state waits for additional supply. Her plan now includes a 12-week rollout to reach seniors over 65 to begin in February, and a dialed down effort for other groups.
Walensky said the potential to have a third vaccine manufacturer come online would also help address supply issues, as is the hope with Johnson & Johnson.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
“We said 100 million doses in the first 100 days and we’re going to stick to that plan,” Walensky said. “But I also want to be very cognizant of the fact that after 100 days there are still a lot of Americans who need vaccine. So we have our pedal to the metal to make sure we can get as much vaccine out there. As has been noted before we are hoping to have more data from another manufacturer from the J&J vaccine. The more vaccines we have out there that have FDA authorization the better shape we’ll be.”
