CDC Notifies States, Large Cities To Prepare For Vaccine Distribution As Soon As Late October

[Jonfw2]

I don't think anyone here wants it to fail. I do think there are people here with a healthy dose of skepticism over what the administration vs the CDC vs scientists are saying.

There is simply no way to get a significant number of people vaccinated by early November.
1. The chief scientist of OWS said himself that is was unlikely a vaccine would be approved by then and that he did not know the announcement regarding this date was going to be made until he heard it on the radio.
2. If one of the current vaccines is deemed effective, there is a certain amount of time that needs to occur when large numbers of volunteers get the vaccine to determine long term safety, and how effective the vaccine will be long term.
3. If one is effective, and safe, there needs to be a national plan to produce, store, and distribute the vaccine. We can't even get enough PPE in this country, and those items do not begin to meet the levels of complexity in production, storage, and distribution that the vaccine will need to achieve all of that safely.

I'm a health care provider in a specialty that has one of the highest rates of Covid transmission for outpatient services. I'm all for the vaccine, and will get it as soon as someone who has a history of being apolitical deems it safe. That may be Fauci, that may be some other person or organization. I do not currently trust the spokesmen for the CDC based solely on their history of comments and assertions that fly in the face of known science recently. That doesn't mean I don't trust the scientists at the CDC.

Aggie, as a healthcare worker you should be aware that we have been in large scale human trials for months now with three of the candidates and that several of the candidates are currently being mass produced.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I don't think anyone here wants it to fail. I do think there are people here with a healthy dose of skepticism over what the administration vs the CDC vs scientists are saying.

There is simply no way to get a significant number of people vaccinated by early November.
1. The chief scientist of OWS said himself that is was unlikely a vaccine would be approved by then and that he did not know the announcement regarding this date was going to be made until he heard it on the radio.
2. If one of the current vaccines is deemed effective, there is a certain amount of time that needs to occur when large numbers of volunteers get the vaccine to determine long term safety, and how effective the vaccine will be long term.
3. If one is effective, and safe, there needs to be a national plan to produce, store, and distribute the vaccine. We can't even get enough PPE in this country, and those items do not begin to meet the levels of complexity in production, storage, and distribution that the vaccine will need to achieve all of that safely.

I'm a health care provider in a specialty that has one of the highest rates of Covid transmission for outpatient services. I'm all for the vaccine, and will get it as soon as someone who has a history of being apolitical deems it safe. That may be Fauci, that may be some other person or organization. I do not currently trust the spokesmen for the CDC based solely on their history of comments and assertions that fly in the face of known science recently. That doesn't mean I don't trust the scientists at the CDC.

We have been able to procure ample supplies of PPE for several months. Although we do not need to be wasteful.

 

[aggiedog]

Completely aware, and still not confident we can get the 100's of millions of doses effectively where they need to be quickly. I am confident of big pharma being able to make them. It will take a coordinated federal effort to distribute them. So far the US has not had a coordinated federal effort regarding any part of this pandemic.

We can not get medical grade gloves, masks, or cleaning supplies in the quantities we need. Haven't been able to for months. Some weeks I have staff out scouring Home Depot and the grocery store for "civilian" grade supplies. It's not just my practice. We're not being wasteful. If I need to leave a room to see another patient and come back, I carefully peel the gloves off and put them back on when I come back. There are certain tasks I do which are difficult to do safely in the non-medical grade (read loose, ill fitting, or non-elastic) gloves. Sometimes, in order to make sure I have full control of what I'm doing, I go gloveless and just douse myself with hand sanitizer afterwards.

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/17/9130...asks-6-months-into-pandemic-shortages-persist

 

[godisney14]

We have been able to procure ample supplies of PPE for several months. Although we do not need to be wasteful.

Take a poll that is representative of the whole country. You won’t be able to repeat that statement then.

Aggie, as a healthcare worker you should be aware that we have been in large scale human trials for months now with three of the candidates and that several of the candidates are currently being mass produced.

So, in your opinion, we’re all good to go.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Take a poll that is representative of the whole country. You won’t be able to repeat that statement then.


So, in your opinion, we’re all good to go.

I can repeat it because it's my experience.

 

[RamblingMad]

Completely aware, and still not confident we can get the 100's of millions of doses effectively where they need to be quickly. I am confident of big pharma being able to make them. It will take a coordinated federal effort to distribute them. So far the US has not had a coordinated federal effort regarding any part of this pandemic.

We can not get medical grade gloves, masks, or cleaning supplies in the quantities we need. Haven't been able to for months. Some weeks I have staff out scouring Home Depot and the grocery store for "civilian" grade supplies. It's not just my practice. We're not being wasteful. If I need to leave a room to see another patient and come back, I carefully peel the gloves off and put them back on when I come back. There are certain tasks I do which are difficult to do safely in the non-medical grade (read loose, ill fitting, or non-elastic) gloves. Sometimes, in order to make sure I have full control of what I'm doing, I go gloveless and just douse myself with hand sanitizer afterwards.

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/17/9130...asks-6-months-into-pandemic-shortages-persist

I went to the hospital last week, and I saw nurses wearing all different kinds of masks. One wore a mask like you would when spray painting. Another wore a cloth one. I'm not convinced PPE production has caught up to demand, and flu season is only beginning.

 

[Jonfw2]

Take a poll that is representative of the whole country. You won’t be able to repeat that statement then.


So, in your opinion, we’re all good to go.

In my opinion, our progress towards a vaccine and other treatments puts us much closer to being through this than many here believe

 

[LuvOrlando]

The whole mask and PPE supply issue has me stumped, it was weird it took so long in the beginning but now reading here that there are issues with medical practices getting enough it just dipped into the bizarre. Where there is demand humans build supply until there is enough to go around, it makes the world work.

The US is nothing if it isn't enterprising and when masks were needed literally everywhere I went people were hand stitching them either for financial gain or kindness, NEXTDOOR was flooded with offers and buyers within a week, it's where I got my first few masks. This is what humans do, we exploit opportunities for a gain, it can be good or it can be bad but it is a fundamental behavior and why we need rules about price gouging etc. Makes absolutely no sense that small businesses haven't popped up everywhere making this stuff. If a businessman/woman is paying rent and can't earn as a bar or whatever they naturally seek out alternative things that do earn, it's why my local pizza place will put the pizza in my trunk for a tip. So why isn't this happening? Are Americans unable to get the loans to pivot? Is there a stranglehold on funding? Licences? The whole country didn't just wake up and decide to not be motivated by profit.

At first I thought, ok it's weird with the N95 masks but maybe they are sooooo specialized there just isn't any way. But we shifted what is acceptable to lesser quality which is normal, but still the demand for actual N95 should have driven supply and a huge shift into manufacturing. To hear that today some facilities still need gloves and the rest, well that makes zero sense.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

The whole mask and PPE supply issue has me stumped, it was weird it took so long in the beginning but now reading here that there are issues with medical practices getting enough it just dipped into the bizarre. Where there is demand humans build supply until there is enough to go around, it makes the world work.

The US is nothing if it isn't enterprising and when masks were needed literally everywhere I went people were hand stitching them either for financial gain or kindness, NEXTDOOR was flooded with offers and buyers within a week, it's where I got my first few masks. This is what humans do, we exploit opportunities for a gain, it can be good or it can be bad but it is a fundamental behavior and why we need rules about price gouging etc. Makes absolutely no sense that small businesses haven't popped up everywhere making this stuff. If a businessman/woman is paying rent and can't earn as a bar or whatever they naturally seek out alternative things that do earn, it's why my local pizza place will put the pizza in my trunk for a tip. So why isn't this happening? Are Americans unable to get the loans to pivot? Is there a stranglehold on funding? Licences? The whole country didn't just wake up and decide to not be motivated by profit.

At first I thought, ok it's weird with the N95 masks but maybe they are sooooo specialized there just isn't any way. But we shifted what is acceptable to lesser quality which is normal, but still the demand for actual N95 should have driven supply and a huge shift into manufacturing. To hear that today some facilities still need gloves and the rest, well that makes zero sense.

Do you not remember the scarcity of elastic? Or metal coils (for nose bridges)? Or cloths for making masks? What loans would you think a bank would give to a company that was closed up right now? The government gave the loans but a decent amount were given initially at least to these larger companies (did you hear about some of those companies like Shake Shack giving the money back?). Heck when we refinanced our home they did employment checks multiple times in the month and a half it took for the whole process because so many people were unemployed left and right and there wasn't stability and you think a bank is going to hand out a small business a loan? Even banks were running out of money to get for refinancing for homes so they temporarily for a time stopped allowing that.

I don't think it's fair to point fingers at business owners and say "well how come you can't be xyz and pump out these masks?" (obviously paraphrasing). Certainly some people were able to but I would not in any way shape or form look down upon people who were unable to do so. Your local pizza joint putting the pizza in your truck isn't the same to questioning why the small business owners of the nation aren't out there making PPE. That's like asking why the Petsmart employees aren't also making PPE because all we have to do is pop our trunk and they put in our cat's food in it. It's an easy addition to an already existing process.

 

[Southernmiss]

There were reports that the raw materials used in surgical masks is the same used in Clorox wipes and surgical gowns.

All items needed and still in short supply around the world.

Has little to do with the desire and creativity of people if the raw materials can't be manufactured or grown fast enough.

https://www.businessinsider.com/clo...xity-keeps-company-from-meeting-demand-2020-8

 

[Southernmiss]

Duplicate

 

[godisney14]

We have been able to procure ample supplies of PPE for several months. Although we do not need to be wasteful.

Take a poll that is representative of the whole country. You won’t be able to repeat that statement then.

I can repeat it because it's my experience.

Ahh....I see now. Didn’t realize the “we” in your original statement was specifically just about your own situation.
I was talking about this country as a whole, including in my area.

 

[Kitty 34]

I went to the hospital last week, and I saw nurses wearing all different kinds of masks. One wore a mask like you would when spray painting. Another wore a cloth one. I'm not convinced PPE production has caught up to demand, and flu season is only beginning.

Interesting. Way back in March (sounds like years ago now) when I was still allowed to go for my infusions, the few hospital staff and my nurses all wore various different masks......including a very cute Disney one.

But by mid summer they were all just wearing the hospital issued yellow or blue paper mask.

 

[godisney14]

Interesting. Way back in March (sounds like years ago now) when I was still allowed to go for my infusions, the few hospital staff and my nurses all wore various different masks......including a very cute Disney one.

But by mid summer they were all just wearing the hospital issued yellow or blue paper mask.

Those surgical masks (I think that’s what your are referring to) are mostly plentiful. One can even get a box of 50 for $10-$20 at retail any day in many, if not most, areas.

What’s still lacking are the respirator masks, ie. N95.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

The whole mask and PPE supply issue has me stumped, it was weird it took so long in the beginning but now reading here that there are issues with medical practices getting enough it just dipped into the bizarre. Where there is demand humans build supply until there is enough to go around, it makes the world work.

The US is nothing if it isn't enterprising and when masks were needed literally everywhere I went people were hand stitching them either for financial gain or kindness, NEXTDOOR was flooded with offers and buyers within a week, it's where I got my first few masks. This is what humans do, we exploit opportunities for a gain, it can be good or it can be bad but it is a fundamental behavior and why we need rules about price gouging etc. Makes absolutely no sense that small businesses haven't popped up everywhere making this stuff. If a businessman/woman is paying rent and can't earn as a bar or whatever they naturally seek out alternative things that do earn, it's why my local pizza place will put the pizza in my trunk for a tip. So why isn't this happening? Are Americans unable to get the loans to pivot? Is there a stranglehold on funding? Licences? The whole country didn't just wake up and decide to not be motivated by profit.

At first I thought, ok it's weird with the N95 masks but maybe they are sooooo specialized there just isn't any way. But we shifted what is acceptable to lesser quality which is normal, but still the demand for actual N95 should have driven supply and a huge shift into manufacturing. To hear that today some facilities still need gloves and the rest, well that makes zero sense.

The federal supply of N95s was depleted in 2009 during the H1N1 crisis. The federal government then used the funds directed toward replacing the supply, on other things. That is why those of us who work in hospitals and caring for Covid pts inside and outside of ICUs, were rationing these masks so that instead of one per pt encounter, we were only given one per day - or less in some places, by report. (I felt fortunate I could get a clean one every shift, for sure, but taking them off after coming out of a Covid room, and reapplying them over and over, were our unfortunate realities.)

That's when people decided to be innovative about replenishing supplies. As a subsequent poster mentioned, materials for the N95 weren't always available. Then we had competition in buying what little supply was available from virtually every country in the world! You'll probably remember our state had an innovative way of procuring masks for us using the NE Patriots plane to go over to China to get some. And of course we had some supplies confiscated at the NY harbor. It got to the point of being crazy. Where we are they decided to try to clean dirty masks, and a lot us in hospitals were sickened from the chemical smells left over. You think it's bad trying to wear a cloth mask in the supermarket, try wearing a very tight fitting one that has a strong chemical smell and is making your woozy and causing headaches while trying go take care of very sick patients. Not fun!

But this is what happened to the N95s. The same hoarding we saw with toilet paper and hand sanitizer, we saw with them. All over the world.

 

[LuvOrlando]

The federal supply of N95s was depleted in 2009 during the H1N1 crisis. The federal government then used the funds directed toward replacing the supply, on other things. That is why those of us who work in hospitals and caring for Covid pts inside and outside of ICUs, were rationing these masks so that instead of one per pt encounter, we were only given one per day - or less in some places, by report. (I felt fortunate I could get a clean one every shift, for sure, but taking them off after coming out of a Covid room, and reapplying them over and over, were our unfortunate realities.)

That's when people decided to be innovative about replenishing supplies. As a subsequent poster mentioned, materials for the N95 weren't always available. Then we had competition in buying what little supply was available from virtually every country in the world! You'll probably remember our state had an innovative way of procuring masks for us using the NE Patriots plane to go over to China to get some. And of course we had some supplies confiscated at the NY harbor. It got to the point of being crazy. Where we are they decided to try to clean dirty masks, and a lot us in hospitals were sickened from the chemical smells left over. You think it's bad trying to wear a cloth mask in the supermarket, try wearing a very tight fitting one that has a strong chemical smell and is making your woozy and causing headaches while trying go take care of very sick patients. Not fun!

But this is what happened to the N95s. The same hoarding we saw with toilet paper and hand sanitizer, we saw with them. All over the world.

I hear you, it's been a terrible ordeal for everyone trying to care for people, I can't imagine how heartbreaking it's been for caregivers.

I am up to speed with what you describe, the point where I am stumped is wondering why the market hasn't corrected itself yet? Market forces are swift and with so much pent up demand for a N95's and so many idle hands (out of work) not making money the market forces should inspire those idle hands to whittle away at these masks, creating the supply in order to earn until we get back to equilibrium. I'm not saying that supply should be taken from medical workers, I get that the new stockpiles need to be filled, what I am saying is there should be so many N95 manufacturing plants popping up all over the place that we are swimming in masks and rationing is unnecessary, really the same is true for disinfectants and such. The fact this happened yet is extraordinarily odd in a free market economy.

 

[Jonfw2]

Awesome news today: for the first time since the crisis began, over 1 million people were tested in a day yesterday.

 

[disneychrista]

Awesome news today: for the first time since the crisis began, over 1 million people were tested in a day yesterday.

Which leads to the question what percentage of these people were tested due to presenting with symptoms? What percentage were tested via surveillance testing?

 

[Jonfw2]

No idea. But more is better.

 

[disneychrista]

No idea. But more is better.

Not if it is because more people are actually contracting and getting sick from the disease. I am all for doing as much surveillance testing as possible. As that is one of the ways to STOP the spread. Test and isolate.