COVID-19 Cases Surge In U.S. As Vaccinations Fall Below Government Predictions

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Norman Einspruch, 88, a cardiology patient at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla., receives his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine Dec. 30.





Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images



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Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP via Getty Images



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Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, released a statement calling for action to address the problems happening with vaccine rollout, saying «that comprehensive vaccination plans have not been developed at the federal level and sent to the states as models is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable.

While appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams defended the federal government’s actions over the discrepancy and responded to Romney.

US Surgeon General Jerome Adams defends the Trump administration’s vaccine rollout: "We did deliver on 20 million doses delivered, but you're always going to have more doses allocated versus delivered. Delivered versus shots in arms." https://t.co/XjvvLEXF14 #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/TIzfHE8mzs

— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) January 3, 2021

«I want people to understand that the projections we were putting out were based on what we could control at the federal level. And we did deliver on 20 million doses delivered, but you’re always going to have more doses allocated versus delivered. Delivered versus shots in arms, Adams said.

As states create their own approach to roll out the vaccines, some are having more success than others. In Florida, WLRN’s Verónica Zaragovia visited a vaccination site in Broward County where members of the public were relieved and excited to be receiving their vaccines. Zaragovia said the line was moving fast, but that hasn’t been the case in other parts of the state.

«The rollout has been chaotic and disjointed and frustrating, Zaragovia told Weekend Edition. «State officials left it to hospitals and counties to choose their plans.

That approach has led to jammed phone lines, websites crashing and in some cases, people camping out in counties that took a first-come, first-served approach. In terms of what happens next with the booster shot, Zaragovia says Florida residents will have to wait for more information.



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Florida is not the only state having issues with getting the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to people.

Elisabeth Rosenthal, editor-in-chief of Kaiser Health News, said the lack of central direction has led to the rollout being equitable in some areas, but not in others.

«It’s more than a nightmare, she told NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro. «It’s a very disorganized kind of slow walk and it really depends where you live and in some places who you know, and that is not how a national vaccine campaign should be carried out.

Rosenthal says that some of the delays, including a shortage of small glass vials, might be solved by invoking the Defense Production Act to increase the nation’s supply.

While vaccinations continue, public health officials say it’s still important to continue social distancing practices, including wearing masks, washing hands and watching how close people get to others.