Initial Batch Of COVID-19 Vaccines Will Go To States Based On Population, Not Risk

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A flu vaccine is administered at a walk-up COVID-19 testing site, in San Fernando, Calif. Emergency use authorization is expected soon for vaccines for COVID-19.

Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

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Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

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HHS Secretary Azar says the way vaccines are allocated will not change once the advisory committee makes its recommendations. «At the end of the day, that is a decision of the U.S. government’s to make. He added that states would get the final say in whether to abide by the government’s recommendations.

Still, many states intend to follow the committee’s guidance on how to prioritize limited doses, according to plans submitted to the CDC. States are currently enrolling local hospitals, doctors offices and pharmacies to be eligible to give COVID-19 shots when they’re available — and providers are signing agreements saying they will follow the CDC’s advisory committee guidelines.

There may be valid reasons why Operation Warp Speed has changed the way it’s decided to allocate vaccines — and it would be helpful for the public to see how their thinking evolved, says Dr. Grace Lee, an advisory committee member. «Transparency in the process is entwined with public trust, she says, «and that’s so critical to the success of a COVID-19 vaccination program, especially in a pandemic. That’s why the committee has been holding monthly public meetings where members openly air their considerations and concerns.

At one such meeting Monday, advisory committee members described the importance of prioritizing vaccines for groups that bear the highest risk burdens. «I think if we’re serious about valuing equity, we need to have that baked in, early on in the vaccination program, said Dr. Beth Bell, who chairs the committee’s COVID-19 vaccines workgroup.

They are weighing the relative benefits and risks of vaccinating specific populations such as health care personnel and essential workers, who are more likely to be exposed to the coronavirus because of jobs requirements; and people who are older and those with underlying health conditions, who are more likely to get severely ill or die from COVID-19.

At the meeting, the committee generally supported prioritizing vaccines for workers who keep our health, food and transport systems running, ahead of those with health issues. «These essential workers are out there putting themselves at risk to allow the rest of us to socially distance, Bell said.

No vaccines have been authorized yet, but the FDA has set a December 10 meeting to consider the first application for a COVID-19 vaccine co-developed by drug companies Pfizer and BioNTech. If the vaccine is given the OK by the FDA, the government expects to begin vaccine distribution in mid-December.