Biden admin remakes vaccine strategy after mass vaccination sites fizzle

Discussions about enlisting FEMA to help build up the sites started during the transition, according to two people with knowledge of those conversations. The major concern at the time, those sources said, was that the U.S. did not have an easy way to quickly increase vaccination capacity that could supplement what states were already doing.

Knowing that vaccine supply was poised to increase sharply over the following months, the Biden team was under pressure to set up the mass vaccination sites within a few weeks. And it did. As each week passed the federal government sealed deals with states to use large buildings and sports centers.

But as the retail pharmacy program rolled out, it became increasingly clear that the pharmacies had more reach.

“Everyone said, ‘Is it efficient? Is it cost effective?’ But I don’t think that was the primary consideration,” said Craig Fugate, former FEMA administrator in the Obama administration. “Speed was the number one priority. Do you want to do it fast or do you want to do it cheap? Some of this is just brute force.”

The Biden team’s original strategy for the pilot sites was not only to increase the number of doses going out daily across the country but also to distribute the vaccine more equitably by reaching underserved populations. Officials say the pilot vaccination sites are fulfilling that goal. As of mid-March, 65 percent of people vaccinated at the sites are “racial and ethnic minorities,” according to an internal FEMA memo obtained by POLITICO.

The federal government disperses the Covid-19 vaccine through multiple channels and relies on states to do the bulk of vaccinations. Each state health agency coordinates with county health agencies to distribute their allotment of vaccines through state-run sites or other local community centers and health care programs. How each state allocates its doses depends largely on population and funding for public health programs.

Last week, for example, more than 16 million doses were allocated to states and about 5.8 million to the federal retail pharmacy program, according to an internal FEMA memo.

The federally run programs also require significant state involvement and coordination. A vaccination site in New Jersey, for example, might be run out of a local church or hospital and overseen by local officials, but it could be receiving federal funding in the way of cash, personal protective equipment or staffing. Any site in the country that receives federal assistance in some way is designated a federal site, according to two senior administration officials.

Nearly 7,000 federal employees, including 2,000 FEMA staff and 2,000 Pentagon personnel, are now helping run vaccination sites, according to another internal FEMA memo obtained by POLITICO and dated March 23. The National Guard has deployed about 30,000 National Guard personnel, including almost 2,000 vaccinators. It is unclear how many federal personnel are helping staff the federal pilot vaccination centers specifically.

About 720,000 doses went last week to the 950 federally funded health centers across the U.S. — community-based health care facilities that traditionally target underserved populations. Only 415,000 went to the 1,000 FEMA run community vaccination sites.

Not every pilot site runs the same way. The federal government classifies its mass vaccination sites as Type 1, 2, or 3. Type 1 sites are usually located in large buildings such as stadiums or convention centers and can vaccinate 6,000 people a day. Type 2 sites, such as hospitals, can vaccinate 3,000 people a day. And Type 3 centers can vaccinate 1,000 people a day.

A second group of mass vaccination sites are run largely by state and local health care partners outside of the umbrella of FEMA’s pilot vaccination centers.

These other sites often receive federal funding in the form of supplies and staffing but they are largely overseen by states. For example, New Jersey National Guard personnel are outside and inside one such site at the convention center in Atlantic City to direct the flow of people. Inside, federal vaccinators, some wearing FEMA insignia, are lined up at tables, administering the shots. Nurses and doctors from a nearby health care facility are also present to help with vaccination.

On a normal day, the Atlantic City site doles out about 4,000 doses a day, officials there said. That’s more than the number of doses being administered at some of the pilot sites.

While the federally run mass vaccination sites are hitting their overall mark most days, there is variation between locations. According to interviews with eight people who were vaccinated at one of the mass vaccination hubs over the last several weeks, the sites in New York and New Jersey have run relatively smoothly, with minimal wait times. Others, including those in California, Florida and Pennsylvania have experienced some level of overcrowding. Some people in those areas said they are having difficulty finding vaccination appointments at the sites.

And not every site is hitting its vaccination cap every day, according to the internal FEMA data obtained by POLITICO. A site in Erie, N.Y., hit about 80 percent of its cap over the course of three days last week. Another center in Duval, Fla., reported hitting only 52 percent, though the vaccination rate at the site has increased since after receiving additional first doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

Other sites are surpassing their daily target. One mass vaccination site in Miami administered 173 percent of its target over the course of three days last week. Similarly, a site in Dallas administered 170 percent of its target in the same time period.

Senior Biden officials working on the federal government’s rollout of the mass vaccination sites say the data is constantly being updated as not every site is reporting its numbers each day.

Source:Politico