Administration Outlines Plan To Distribute Coronavirus Vaccines To Americans Free Of Charge
- September 17, 2020
The New York Times (9/16, Thomas) reports federal officials “outlined details Wednesday of their preparations to administer a future coronavirus vaccine to Americans, saying they would begin distribution within 24 hours of any approval or emergency authorization, and that their goal was that no American ‘has to pay a single dime’ out of their own pocket.” The officials with “Operation Warp Speed – the multiagency effort to quickly make a coronavirus vaccine available to Americans – also said the timing of a vaccine was still unclear, despite repeated statements by President Trump that one could be ready before the election on Nov. 3.”
The Wall Street Journal (9/16, Hopkins, Loftus, Subscription Publication) reports that the first shipments of a vaccine would begin soon after the FDA issued its approval and that drug makers have already started manufacturing doses so they will be prepared to ship them if they are proved safe and effective and are authorized by regulators.
The AP (9/16, Alonso-Zaldivar, Perrone, Stobbe) reports, “In a report to Congress and an accompanying ‘playbook’ for states and localities, federal health agencies and the Defense Department sketched out complex plans for a vaccination campaign to begin gradually in January or even late this year, eventually ramping up to reach any American who wants a shot.”
Among other media outlets providing coverage are: Reuters (9/16, Erman, Humer), Bloomberg (9/16, Griffin, Wingrove), CNN (9/16, Gumbrecht, Thomas), CNBC (9/16, Lovelace), Fox News (9/16, Blitzer), USA Today (9/16, Weise, Weintraub), Forbes (9/16, Hansen), The Hill (9/16, Weixel), and Politico (9/16, Roubein, Owermohle).