Former FDA commissioner suggests 'dual strategy' to expedite COVID-19 vaccinations

Scott Gottlieb.
(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/CBS)

While experts are urging patience with the slower-than-expected United States vaccine rollout, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb on Sunday suggested a logistical fix that could help speed things up.

Appearing on CBS News' Face the Nation, Gottlieb told host Margaret Brennan he thinks the U.S. should allow public health departments to focus on getting the vaccine to hard-to-reach, vulnerable communities while simultaneously making the shots available to the wider population — with priority based on age — through retail pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS. "You're not gonna see the long lines," he said. "They're gonna have a scheduling system in place, and it's gonna be a more orderly distribution."

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.