Azar says US ready to roll out coronavirus vaccine thanks to Operation Warp Speed, President Trump
HHS secretary tells FBN 100 million vaccine kits have already been prepared
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar gives an update on coronavirus vaccine development and distribution.
The U.S. government is ready to distribute a much-anticipated coronavirus vaccine to the American people, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday on “Making Money with Charles Payne.”
Thanks to Operation Warp Speed (OWS), Azar said, the necessary equipment and materials are “all there” to begin nationwide distribution.
“When we built this system back earlier this year and partnered with the Defense Department to lead it, right away Gen. [Gustave] Perna and the OWS team contracted for needles and syringes and dry ice and diluent to mix the vaccine,” he said.
Azar said the team already has 100 million kits prepared to “marry up” with proven-effective vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca so far.
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He added that the key to their preparedness was reliance on “tried and true” systems, including the private sector and existing distribution infrastructure.
“We bought the vaccine. The vaccine’s free,” he said. “We’re paying for the administration cost. We’re paying for the distribution cost ... We set up the partnerships with CVS and Walgreens and America’s community pharmacies or community health centers or hospitals to make this feel to you as much like the flu vaccine experience as it can be.”
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The HHS secretary explained that prioritization of vaccine distribution is still being worked out, but the first people to receive it will most likely be health care workers and the medically vulnerable.