States redistribute hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses unused by nursing homes
Washington Post
By Lena H. Sun and Lenny Bernstein
Feb. 5, 2021 at 6:57 p.m. EST
The federal government allocated too much vaccine to elder-care facilities, and many states are now redistributing hundreds of thousands of the unused doses to others — a move expected to expand vaccinations to more people, more quickly, according to officials involved in the effort.
In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said Thursday that he is redirecting 170,000 doses of unused vaccine intended for long-term-care facilities. In Texas, health officials said they would redistribute 126,750 doses. In Illinois, the state is redirecting about 97,000 doses. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) announced on Twitter last week that the state was reallocating 37,800 doses to vaccine providers. “These surplus vaccines should be made available to members of the general public right away rather than at the completion of the [long-term-care] program,” McMaster wrote.
In Maine, the state is initially taking about 4,000 doses from nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and other locations. “We’re not letting those doses go to waste,” said Nirav Shah, director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in a briefing for reporters.
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The CDC is working with 32 jurisdictions on a case-by-case basis to “transfer doses back from pharmacy partners when there is an excess,” said spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund. She declined to say how many total doses are being redirected.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/02/05/unused-vaccines-nursing-homes-reallocated/
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