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U.S. daily rate of new Vaccinations continues to decline
In the United States, the number of vaccinations given each day continues to trend downward and more states and counties are reporting surplus vaccines and a lack of demand. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports just under 57% of the adult population has been vaccinated, with Civiqs indicating another 14% of American adults still intending to seek the vaccine.
The percentage of those vaccinated in the U.S. is likely a major factor in why the nation has not seen a new spike in cases despite widely relaxed social distancing guidelines. However, the rate of vaccination is not enough to cause the kind of steep decline in cases seen in nations like Israel. Over the last three days, Israel has averaged 68 cases a day—down from a peak of over 10,000 in January—after reaching a vaccination rate that includes 80% of all adults.
CVS, Walmart, and Sam’s Club all providing walk-in vaccinations
For those still looking for a vaccination, CVS, Walmart, and Sam’s Club all announced on Wednesday that they would now provide walk-in vaccinations with no appointment necessary. Sam’s Club also indicates that it’s not necessary to be a member to visit one of the in-store pharmacies for the vaccine.
With broad availability of vaccine and most clinics and pharmacies now offering vaccination, it’s still possible that remaining adults who are seeking the vaccine could be vaccinated by the end of May, bringing the percentage of the adult population vaccinated to over 70%—though this will be just under 60% of the total population. However, the outside expert panel for the FDA is expected to meet on either Thursday or Friday to vote on whether to update the emergency use authorization (EUA) from Pfizer to include people as young as 12 years old. If that change to the EUA is approved, vaccination for high school and middle school students should be available immediately.
U.S. moves to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines
On Wednesday afternoon, Ambassador Katherine Tai announced that the U.S. would seek to waive patents and other forms of intellectual property protection for COVID-19 vaccines.
“The Administration strongly believes in intellectual property protection,” said Tai, “but in the service of ending this pandemic, supports waiver of those protections for COVID-19 vaccines.”
Tai, who serves as the U.S. Trade Representative to the World Trade Organization, indicated that the United States will negotiate with the WTO with the goal of making those waivers happen as quickly as possible. The ambassador restated the White House’s goal of getting as many people vaccinated as possible, and said that the U.S. would also work to make sure that sufficient raw materials were available to support manufacture of the vaccines.
Though the immediate need in India—where the health system has been crushed under the weight of so many COVID-19 patients—is for oxygen, ventilators, personal protective equipment, and medical personnel, freeing these vaccines from patent protection has been a goal for both health experts and activists. India is already one of the world’s largest manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, and a removal of protections around the vaccines should allow more factories there and elsewhere to turn their attention to meeting a rising global demand.
The spike in cases across Asia outside of India shows how quickly this disease can spread, even in areas that have suppressed previous outbreaks and were thought to be prepared. Globally only about 2% of the population has tested positive for COVID-19, and an even smaller percentage has been vaccinated. Though it’s tempting to believe that the pandemic has done its worst and is on its way out, COVID-19 still has billions of potential victims—all of whom would be well served by an effective global campaign of vaccine administration.
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