Millions of US vaccine doses sit on ice, putting 2020 goal in doubt

STAFF STRETCHED THIN

Margaret Mary Health, a 25-bed rural hospital in Indiana, built a drive-thru vaccination clinic at a local fire station and one at a local recreation center to vaccinate healthcare workers in the surrounding counties, according to Chief Executive Officer Tim Putnam.

Putnam, who has done traffic control at the clinic's drive-thru, said they have used about 400 of 1,100 doses received.

"We're asking for volunteers from our staff, volunteers from the local community college to step in and build this process from the ground up," he said.

Some of the largest US hospitals inoculated more than 1,000 people per day, having done dry runs of the vaccine delivery and rollout.

Vermont, Delaware and Idaho were among states that confirmed their states had given only thousands of doses - a fraction of those available to them - during the first week.

Jason Schwartz, assistant professor of health policy at Yale School of Public Health, described the initial tally as "discouraging" and said "the challenges of getting vaccines out as quickly as we're able to manufacture them will only grow."

Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine could speed deployment because it requires a conventional refrigerator and has no specialized procedures to thaw out and administer, said Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association for Immunization Managers trade group. AstraZeneca's two dose vaccine also can be stored in a refrigerator.

"When it's refrigerator-stable and a one-dose regimen, it can't get any easier than that," Hannan said.