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Hassan, Shaheen join colleagues in urging Trump administration to immediately address significant COVID-19 vaccine distribution failures

By Staff | Jan 13, 2021

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) joined their colleagues in urging the Trump administration to immediately fix the significant failures of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution as COVID-19 cases continue to climb. The letter was led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on which Senator Hassan serves.

In their letter to Alex Azar, Secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Senators wrote, “We write to you with concerns about significant challenges in COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration across the country and to outline key actions the Trump Administration should have taken — and must now take — to address these challenges. With our health system and economy in crisis, and millions of lives at stake, we cannot afford for this vaccination campaign to continue to be hindered by the lack of planning, communication, and leadership we have seen so far.”

The Senators underscore that a plan must include guidance and best practices on taking the vaccine from distribution to administration, provide all necessary resources to state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments and other jurisdictions, account for the significant challenges jurisdictions face in scaling up their workforces, and act to ensure vaccine distribution efforts also combat health inequities. The administration must also launch a massive public-facing campaign to promote vaccine confidence and help people understand where, when, and how to get vaccinated. In the coming weeks, the Senators emphasize that the Trump administration must engage with states to proactively identify and address challenges to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are quickly and equitably distributed and administered across the country.

Senators Hassan and Shaheen successfully pushed for additional funding for vaccine distribution in the latest COVID-19 relief package, which includes $69 billion for vaccines, testing and tracing, community health and health care provider support. Last May, Senator Hassan emphasized the importance of planning early for the manufacturing and distribution of vaccines during a Senate HELP Committee hearing. Additionally, Senators Hassan and Shaheen pressed the Trump administration on reports stating that earlier last year, the administration declined to purchase additional doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine when given the opportunity.

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