‘We need answers.’ It’s great we have a COVID vaccine, but who’s calling the shots? | Editorial

That a vaccine for COVID was developed in less than a year is truly amazing. Some health experts around the country said early on it would be impossible, yet here we are.

Operation Warp Speed has lived up to its name.

Now comes another challenge — distribution.

While everyone is excited that the first round of vaccines has begun, news that the second allocation for Washington state would be cut by 40% came abruptly.

Gov. Jay Inslee was caught off guard when he found out about the reduction.

The Centers for Disease Control “has informed us that WA’s vaccine allocation will be cut by 40% next week — and that all states are seeing similar cuts. This is disruptive and frustrating. We need accurate, predictable numbers to plan and ensure on-the-ground success,” Inslee tweeted Thursday morning.

“No explanation was given,” he wrote.

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. agreed with Inslee and tweeted, “We need answers and I’m pushing to get them right now — and I will let you know what I find out.”

In addition to an explanation for the surprise reduction, the public also needs to know how the vaccine allocation is decided.

Most people understand that frontline health care workers should be at the head of the line. What’s confusing is why Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland is receiving the vaccine for its employees, while Trios Health in Kennewick and Lourdes Health in Pasco will have to continue to wait.

Of the 62,400 vaccine doses the Washington state Department of Health is expecting to receive in the first allocation, 1,950 doses are being sent to one or more Benton County health care providers.

But Franklin County is one of 10 in the state that will not be receiving the vaccine right away.

It would help bring peace of mind if we knew more about what the distribution schedule will be, and who exactly is calling the shots.

John Wiesman, Washington state’s Secretary of Health, said Wednesday that updates on how many vaccines may be shipped were unpredictable because coronavirus vaccines are still being approved.

Understood — but somehow decisions are being made as to who gets the vaccine right away and who has to wait. It would be helpful to know what criteria is being used and why.

Distribution of the vaccine created by Pfizer and BioNTech already has begun, and another vaccine, created by Moderna, is expected to be approved and distributed very soon.

Both vaccines require two shots, about three weeks apart.

The uncertainty over distribution will make some hospital leaders wonder if they should reserve some of the vaccine to make sure they have enough for that second dose.

Adding to the confusion, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services disputed that the distribution numbers had been reduced, reported The Seattle Times.

“Reports that jurisdictions’ allocations are being reduced are incorrect,” according to the spokesperson, adding later that the Trump administration’s vaccine program “remains on track to allocate enough vaccine for about 20 million Americans to receive their first doses before the end of the month,” provided a second vaccine by Moderna is authorized for use, according to the Times.

We knew that the first rollout of the vaccine wouldn’t be perfect. But the allocation process desperately needs more transparency and explanation. States need to be able to plan, and the public needs to have confidence that our elected leaders have the process well in hand.

People are weary of COVID and their patience is wearing thin.

While most can accept that it may be months before they can get the vaccine themselves, they need to have some assurance that its distribution is being conducted as fairly and as efficiently as possible.

This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 12:15 PM.