I wish I had an insightful answer to this question, but I do not. Yet most people will be uttering this question for many weeks, if not months, into the future. It is now the middle of February while I write this newsletter, and many seniors, above age 75, have still not received a vaccination or even an appointment for one. I have attended two virtual town halls on the vaccination problem, and have I heard frustrations vented by many seniors.
It remains unclear if the problem is a lack of supply or if the problem is a distribution issue. In terms of the supply pipeline, officials in many states are complaining that they are not getting adequate doses from the manufacturers/federal government. As of the end of January, the New York Times reports that slightly more than 36 million doses have been manufactured. The Times also reports that the two manufacturers are producing between 12-18 million doses per week. With the stated goal of getting 200 million total doses out by the end of March, which equates to 100 million people being fully vaccinated with two doses per person. If manufacturers fail to hit the high end of their weekly production schedule, they will never meet the stated goal of 200 million doses without exceeding the weekly production in the coming weeks. Thus far, it does not appear that manufacturers are meeting the upper end of their weekly goal.
In the state of Maryland, the Democratic members of the congressional delegation are urging Governor Hogan to improve the distribution process. They are calling on the state to create a one-stop state website where all Marylanders could register for an appointment and for better coordination between the Maryland Department of Health and the local health departments. Registering with the local health department and several local hospitals and pharmacies does not ease anxiety for residents still waiting for an appointment, and many citizens are registering with neighboring counties as a further way of increasing their odds of getting an appointment. But I am not sure that one centralized state website is the answer either. After all, did not the State experience all sort of website problems when too many people tried to register for unemployment benefits at the start of the pandemic in March and April of last year? Or have we forgotten the website problems at the outset of the Affordable Care Act?
But it is certain that counties are seeing less vaccines now than they did just a few weeks ago. The Howard County Executive, Calvin Ball, reported his county saw a thirty percent drop of
vaccines over a three-week period in January and early February. The Sun reported that Bob Atlas, the CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association, wrote that second doses expected in the last week of January were about “one-third lower than corresponding dose allocation from 3-4 weeks ago would call for.” It is unclear if these problems are caused by a malfunction at the state level or if they are caused at the manufacturer/federal level. Further, the New York Times reports that Maryland has only administered 69% of the vaccine doses that it has received as of February 23rd. That figure is one of the lowest rates in the nation. President Biden’s calls for a greater sense of urgency are not being carried out to date.
Clearly, some additional information from the State Department of Health would make this picture clearer. The State should share its information on weekly vaccine allocations from the federal government and share information on how much the counties are receiving, along with companion information on hospitals’ and pharmacies’ allocations.
All I can offer is a suggestion for patience. This is such a multi-faceted, complex situation. I am not sure that any one strategy or any one person can correct the vaccine shortage any time soon.
Eric Rockel
Vice President, GTCC