CDC 'urgently' tells states to get coronavirus vaccine distribution running by Nov. 1


The federal government has hinted to states a COVID-19 vaccine may be ready before Election Day.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services "are rapidly making preparations to implement large-scale distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines in the fall of 2020," CDC head Robert Redfield said in a letter to governors last week. Therefore, the CDC is "urgently" asking states to start "expediting applications" for COVID-19 vaccine distribution facilities so they're "fully operational by Nov. 1, 2020," McClatchy first reported.
If and when a coronavirus vaccine becomes available for public or even emergency use, distribution will still stand between it and Americans, and a slow process could cost lives. That's why the departments are asking states to waive some typical requirements to get distribution up and running, though these "will not compromise the safety or integrity of the products being distributed," the letter said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The guidance also noted that health care employees would be among the first Americans to get the vaccine, as well as high-risk individuals such as those over 65 or from "racial and ethnic minority populations."
Still, epidemiologists are concerned this announcement could signal the Trump administration is rushing to push out a vaccine. "It's hard not to see this as a push for a pre-election vaccine," Saskia Popescu, an infection prevention epidemiologist in Arizona, told The New York Times. Popescu also warned of "the politicization of public health and the potential safety ramifications" if the vaccine approval process is cut short.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Is the Trump-Putin bromance over... again?
Today's Big Question The US president has admitted he's 'p*ssed off' with his opposite number
-
Jurassic World Rebirth: enjoyable sequel hampered by plot holes
Talking Point The latest dinosaur reboot captures the essence of the original – but leans too heavily on 'CGI-heavy set pieces'
-
Will James Gunn's risky Superman movie pay off?
Talking Point First film in DC's rebooted universe marks a new direction for the franchise
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year high
Speed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths