Trump proposes to postpone vaccination of White House employees from COVID-19

US President Donald Trump has proposed that senior White House officials delay COVID-19 vaccinations. The announcement came a few hours after some media reported that senior officials would be vaccinated within ten days. "Voice of America".

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On Sunday evening, December 13, Trump announced on Twitter that he had asked for adjustments to the White House's vaccination plans for officials.

“Individuals working in the White House should receive the vaccine at a later date unless absolutely necessary,” Trump wrote. “I have not planned to receive the vaccine, but I will happily do so at the appropriate time.”

Reuters reported on Sunday, December 13, that President Trump, Vice President Pence and other senior officials will be given the opportunity to vaccinate starting Monday, December 14, as part of a plan to ensure government continuity. This was announced by a source familiar with the vaccination plan. Key White House officials and some representatives from all three branches of government were supposed to receive the vaccine within ten days, according to the source.

It is not yet known when the vaccine will be offered to newly elected President Joe Biden, newly elected Vice President Kamala Harris and other members of Biden's transition team.

The first doses of the vaccine arrived at 145 distribution centers as early as Monday 14 December. Health workers and nursing home residents should be the first to receive the vaccine.

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They are in no hurry to vaccinate the elderly

The introduction of CVS and Walgreens vaccine in long-term care facilities will begin on December 21st. CVS pharmacy teams have decided to coordinate a limited vaccination rollout from December 18 in Connecticut and Ohio by introducing vaccines at multiple sites. CBS News.

Operation Warp Speed, the government's vaccination campaign, instructs clinics administering the Pfizer vaccine to wait until the end of December before vaccinating seniors in long-term care facilities, even if doses are delivered to all 50 states and although CDC recommends prioritizing the elderly given their vulnerability to coronavirus.

CBS News received two Operation Warp Speed ​​documents produced by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) with recommendations for CVS and Walgreens, pharmaceutical partners tasked with vaccinating residents in long-term care facilities. HHS explicitly tells suppliers that "the program may not start until December 21st," referring to the introduction of the Pfizer vaccine. Infection rates in nursing homes have skyrocketed in recent weeks, making this delay potentially costly.

On December 13, on Face the Nation, HHS chief Alex Azar denied a start date for long-term care facilities. CBS News received HHS documents stating a start date on December 21st.

“We’re not actually asking nursing homes to wait. And we were able to have a really good discussion with CVS management about this misunderstanding that they had at the Presidential Vaccine Allocation Summit,” Azar said, saying vaccinations could indeed begin “any day now” and adding that all nursing home residents can get vaccinated for Christmas.

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Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Robert Garrett, who operates one of New Jersey's largest hospital systems, confirmed to Face the Nation that the long-term care facilities his company operates were again told on the morning of December 15 to wait for nursing home residents to get vaccinated.

“The latest information I received from CVS and Walgreens is that vaccinations will begin on the 21st,” Garrett said. He added that it was unclear to him why older people would have to wait, given that the CDC recommends that this group be among the first to be vaccinated.

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb also confirmed the delay and said it was due to nursing home residents or their families still having to agree to the vaccine.

“This is a very costly delay. There are currently 50 new infections in nursing homes every week, possibly even more. And we know that 000% of infected people in nursing homes die from the infection,” he said.

Gottlieb, a former Trump administration official who now advises a number of governors, estimated it would take about a week to obtain patient consent. He also calculated that CVS and Walgreens would vaccinate nursing home residents in just three weeks. Gottlieb also sits on the Pfizer board of directors.

It is unclear why Operation Warp Speed ​​did not arrange in advance for the opportunity to obtain consent.

CVS declined to comment on Azar's comments. Larry Merlot, CEO of CVS Health, told Face the Nation last month that he expects to begin the vaccination process within 48 hours of receiving the vaccine.

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An HHS document obtained by CBS News says jurisdictions should only select one vaccine, made by Pfizer or Moderna. Those opting for the Moderna vaccine, which has not yet been approved by the FDA for emergency use, cannot distribute it to nursing homes until December 28.

Staff at these long-term care facilities can also get vaccinated at local clinics. The HHS document is designated “draft—preliminary and deliberative.”

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