Azar: Governors Will Have ‘Final Say’ on Who Gets the First Doses of COVID-19 Vaccines

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar is indicating governors will be the ones to decide who receives the first doses of any of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Azar noted senior officials on Operation Warp Speed have consulted with the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to assist them with determining who to distribute the vaccine to.

“We’ve also sought any insight, input, etc, around when dealing with a scarce quantity vaccine, which groups, which cohorts to prioritize. At the end of the day, that is a decision though of the U.S. government to make, which is where to recommend the prioritization,” Azar said during a press briefing Tuesday.

He added, “In the final say, it will be our nation’s governors in implementing the distribution plans to tell us… where to ship and they will decide whom the vaccine is given to. We hope that our recommendations will carry weight with them, but at the end of the day they will make that decision.”

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Dr. Moncef Slaoui, the chief scientific adviser for Operation Warp Speed, told NBC when Americans first in line to receive the vaccine can expect it, as IJR previously reported.

“Within 24 hours from the approval, the vaccine will be moving and located in the areas where each state will have told us where they want the vaccine doses,” Slaoui said.

He added on CNN’s “State of the Union,” “So I would expect, maybe on day two after approval on the 11th or 12th of December, hopefully the first people will be immunized across the United States.”

According to Slaoui, those who will first receive the vaccine include doctors, nurses, and frontline emergency medical professionals.

He suggested those at high risk including the elderly will also be a priority for vaccination.

The United States reported at least 1,032 new coronavirus related deaths and 179,067 new cases on Monday.