The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging governors nationwide to prepare for the mass distribution of a novel coronavirus vaccine as early as Nov. 1.
A letter dated Aug. 27 by CDC Director Robert Redfield asks states to consider ways to expedite approval processes, such as waiving licensing and permitting requirements, that would allow medical supply company McKesson Corp. to set up coronavirus distribution facilities by Nov. 1, CNBC reported.
According to Redfield’s letter, McKesson plans to distribute the vaccine to local health departments and doctors’ offices but the time-consuming permitting process “presents a significant barrier to the success of this urgent public health program,” CBS News reported.
“CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities and, if necessary asks that you consider waiving requirements that would prevent these facilities from becoming fully operational by November 1, 2020,” the letter reads. “The requirements you may be asked to waive in order to expedite vaccine distribution will not compromise the safety or integrity of the products being distributed.”
KIRO 7 asked Gov. Jay Inslee’s office if Washington would be ready in time and received the following response:
“Our state is already deep in planning for vaccine distribution. Whenever a vaccine is approved to be safe and effective, we will be ready. It is our expectation that (the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) will only approve a vaccine after it has completed Phase 3 clinical trials and is shown to be safe and effective. FDA should avoid cutting that process short unless driven by science.”
According to CNBC, FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn told the Financial Times that the agency has no qualms about bypassing federal approval processes in order to speed the delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Public health experts also told the network that states should determine protocols now for who receives priority vaccinations and begin stockpiling supplies such as needles and syringes to avoid administration delays whenever the vaccine becomes available
On Tuesday, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a draft proposal at the request of the CDC and National Institutes of Health for nationwide distribution of a vaccine if and when one is approved for public use.
Per the proposal, a vaccine could be distributed in four phases, with health care workers and the most vulnerable candidates, such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, receiving priority doses, CNBC reported.