The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has told states to prepare for a COVID-19 vaccine to be ready by November 1.
The CDC in early August told states to assume for planning that "limited doses" of a vaccine could be available in fall. But in a new letter dated August 27, the CDC sets the stage for a broader rollout on November 1 and asks states to remove obstacles that would prevent distribution sites from opening.
The date suggests the federal government is preparing for a vaccine to become available just days before President Donald Trump stands for re-election on November 3, an aggressive goal. Trump’s political future hinges on the response to the pandemic that has killed almost 185,000 Americans.
The new letter said the Department of Health and Human Services and CDC "are rapidly making preparations to implement large-scale distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in the fall of 2020."
The CDC letter asks state governors to expedite facility permit applications from McKesson Corp., the distributor that the government has contracted for the vaccine, and to waive rules that would prevent the sites from "becoming fully operational" by November 1.
Some public-health experts and scientists have expressed concern that the Trump administration might distribute a vaccine ahead of the November election for political purposes, before science dictates it’s safe and effective.
