U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is pressing Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar and Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller for information on their preparations to meet the enormous challenge of coordinating the wide distribution of Coronavirus vaccines to Michiganders and all Americans once cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“I write to ensure our nation is prepared to engage in the largest vaccine campaign in U.S. history to safely, effectively, and equitably distribute millions of COVID-19 vaccines to Americans, when authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration With over a quarter of a million American lives already lost from this virus, we cannot afford avoidable missteps or unnecessary delay,” wrote Peters.
Peters continued: “In addition, political pressure on scientific agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shaken public confidence in the federal government’s response efforts, including vaccinations. Clear and consistent communication and public engagement will be essential for a successful vaccination campaign.”
In the letter, Peters raised the alarm on recent reports that state and local governments lack the necessary resources to equitably distribute Coronavirus vaccines and that political pressure at our nation’s public health agencies have eroded public confidence in vaccines. Peters also pressed Secretaries Azar and Miller to provide details on steps they are taking to ensure that vaccines will be readily available to all who want one.
As Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Peters has called on the Administration to ensure the Coronavirus vaccine process is rooted in science and transparency and that its distribution is efficient, swift and equitable.
Last month, he released a report highlighting shortcomings in the Trump Administration’s vaccine distribution plans and providing recommendations to ensure that vaccines will be safe, effective, trusted by the public, free, and widely available to every community. He pressed the Trump Administration to take swift action to ensure the U.S. has enough syringes and needles needed to quickly immunize millions of Americans once Coronavirus vaccines are authorized for distribution. He also introduced legislation to address shortages of medical supplies and personal protective equipment by encouraging domestic production.
Text of the letter is copied below and available here.
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