US CDC "2.12 Million Vaccinated So Far"...Achieving Just Over 10% of Year-End Target

Far from the Year-End Goal of 20 Million Vaccinations
Delivery, Storage, and Aggregation All Difficult in Each Region

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that approximately 2.12 million doses of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine have been administered in the United States so far. This figure falls significantly short of the initial goal to vaccinate over 20 million people by the end of the year, and it has been calculated that less than 20% of the vaccines distributed to various regions have actually been administered. U.S. health authorities stated that there are many difficulties in the delivery, storage, and vaccination tallying processes from distribution centers to local vaccination sites, and they expect that achieving the target will require more time.

According to foreign media including CNN, the CDC reported on the 28th (local time) that as of 9 a.m. that day, 2,127,143 doses had been administered. This corresponds to 18.6% of the 11,445,175 doses distributed to U.S. states and territories, indicating that even the vaccines actually delivered to local areas are not being properly administered.

With only three days left until the end of the year, it appears unlikely that the initial target of vaccinating 20 million people set by U.S. health authorities will be met. Previously, the U.S. government's COVID-19 vaccine and distribution project, the "Operation Warp Speed" team, had emphasized their goal to vaccinate 20 million people by the end of this year. Officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC told CNN that delays in data collection have prevented the timely reflection of actual vaccination results.

After vaccines are delivered to various locations, they undergo a mandatory two-day quality inspection by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Subsequently, they are shipped to state governments, territories, and final recipients such as hospitals and long-term care facilities. However, the capacity for delivery and storage varies greatly by region, making systematic vaccination efforts difficult. In particular, the Pfizer vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage below minus 70 degrees Celsius, is reported to be challenging to deliver and store long-term in remote areas.

There are also concerns that the CDC and state government tallies do not reflect real-time field conditions, widening the gap between reported figures and on-the-ground realities. Marcus Plescia, Chief Medical Officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), stated, "Reaching 20 million people by early next year already seems like an ambitious plan."

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