100 days and 100 million vaccines

During his 2020 election campaign, President Joe Biden promised that “this team will help get … at least 100 million covid vaccine shots into the arms of the American people in the first 100 days” during a press conference (KHN). Ever since being sworn into office on January 20, 2021, he’s put his plan into action.

Over the past weeks, President Biden has begun his vaccine rollout, but it has been slower than he had hoped. In fact, Michael Osterholm, a member of Biden’s COVID-19 task force, stated that vaccine rollout is “not going to occur quickly … you’re going to see the ramp-up occurring only when the resources really begin to flow” (Stat). Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, agreed with Osterholm’s sentiments: “We have been given little information about the amount of vaccine the states will receive in the near future and are of the impression that there may not be 1 million doses available per day in the first 100 days of the Biden administration … Or at least not in the early stages of the 100 days” (KHN).

According to Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF, quickly increasing the supply of vaccines is an obstacle that the Biden administration could find tough to subvert. In fact, during President Trump’s time in power, only “12 million shots have been given and 31 million doses have been shipped out” (CDC). This lack of efficacy is mainly due to sluggish communication between the federal government and local state health departments (KHN). If President Biden isn’t able to overcome this obstacle, he may face the same problems that President Trump did.

Another point of worry is funding. The most recent COVID stimulus bill gave $9 billion to the CDC to help fund vaccine efforts, but mass vaccination is very expensive and this funding may not be enough to ensure 100 million vaccines are given out in 100 days.

However, not all are concerned about the rollout. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, believes that Biden’s promise is “absolutely doable” (The Guardian). He stated that President Biden’s “ambitious initiatives” can abate the steep challenges that they will face ahead.

President Biden’s five step plan is one key way to doing so. The plan is as follows: The first step is to work with states to open and clarify vaccine eligibility. Next in the process is creating additional sites for vaccine distribution. After this, a full activation of pharmacies to act as vaccination sites. The fourth step is to increase supply and vaccine manufacturing. Finally, rebuking the spread of disinformation through a public information campaign (CIDRAP).

With his 5-step plan in place, Biden is capable of massive vaccine rollout. The only question is: are the obstacles too large?

If he is able to succeed, another question is brought to light. In order to achieve herd immunity, “usually 50% to 90% of a population needs immunity” (Johns Hopkins). President Biden’s next task would be to convince the American people that vaccination is necessary — a task that will, in no way, be easy.

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About the Author

Saloni Shah is a senior at the Harker School in San Jose, CA.

References

1. Bekiempis V. Biden plan to vaccinate 100m people in 100 days ‘absolutely doable’, Fauci says. The guardian [Internet]. 2021 Jan 17 [cited 2021 Feb 17]; Available from: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/17/joe-biden-covid-vaccination-plan-fauci
2. Biden details 5-step COVID vaccine plan, names new lead for vaccines [Internet]. Umn.edu. [cited 2021 Feb 17]. Available from: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/01/biden-details-5-step-covid-vaccine-plan-names-new-lead-vaccines
3. Florko N, Chen LJ, Church T, Heil DL, Cohrs R, Dawes DE, et al. Biden adviser predicts slow start to ‘100 million vaccines in 100 days’ goal [Internet]. Statnews.com. 2021 [cited 2021 Feb 17]. Available from: https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/14/biden-slow-start-vaccine-goal/
4. Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. For Biden, 100 million vaccinations in 100 days not easy [Internet]. WebMD. 2021 [cited 2021 Feb 17]. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20210120/bidens-covid-challenge-100-million-vaccinations-in-the-first-100-days-it-wont-be-easy
5. Knight V. Biden’s covid challenge: 100 million vaccinations in the first 100 days. It won’t be easy [Internet]. Khn.org. 2021 [cited 2021 Feb 17]. Available from: https://khn.org/news/article/bidens-covid-challenge-100-million-vaccinations-in-the-first-100-days-it-wont-be-easy/
6. Rogers LS, JH Bloomberg School of Public Health. What is herd immunity and how can we achieve it with COVID-19? [Internet]. Jhsph.edu. 2020 [cited 2021 Feb 17]. Available from: https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/articles/achieving-herd-immunity-with-covid19.html