Intensify efforts against virus

Step one in the new war plan against the surging and evolving coronavirus came last week, with an important shift in tone and added urgency emerging from the White House.

But the rest of the battle is going to be far more complicated, and far more difficult, especially when it comes to one of the most important tools of the virus fight: vaccinations.

The focus on social distancing, mask wearing, and vaccination planning in the first days of President Joe Biden’s administration was welcome, as even Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, was able to stand in front of cameras and answer questions without any concern of retribution, or retaliation.

But the already-chaotic vaccine situation became even more worrisome last week, as state officials warned their supply of vaccine was running out, appointments in New York City were being canceled, and reports emerged that Biden was left with limited supply and without a distribution plan from the Trump administration. Making matters more complicated was Pfizer’s announcement Friday that it will provide fewer total vials to the United States after realizing pharmacists and others were getting six doses out of a vial instead of five. That means the company will deliver the same amount of vaccine as promised, but in fewer vials.

It’s no wonder that New Yorkers are frustrated, confused and scared. And while state and Long Island officials have handled the appointment scheduling conservatively to avoid sweeping cancellations, the confusion and fear are bound to continue.

An achievable goal

Biden’s goal of administering "100 million COVID vaccine shots into the arms of the American people in the first 100 days" is doable. While Fauci previously had suggested that the goal meant 100 million people would be vaccinated, he clarified Sunday on CBS’s "Face the Nation" that some people would be getting two shots, while others might get one. That could mean that about 67 million people could be receiving shots by April, according to some estimates.

Even that goal, however, will be anything but easy due to several factors, including a tight supply, a rocky start to distribution that permitted more viral spread, and the hesitancy many Americans still feel about being immunized. Biden is right to make that his focus. Using the Defense Production Act is a good start, especially to expand the production of the raw materials involved in making the vaccines and to produce more syringes and other supplies. That’s especially important now as the Pfizer vials require special syringes to extract the six doses from them. But even that isn’t a magic bullet. It’ll take time for Pfizer and Moderna to increase production even with federal support. Also key to shoring up supply: getting more vaccines approved. Johnson & Johnson is close, and its vaccine requires just one shot — a game-changer in terms of getting more people immunized more quickly. But the supply shortage is going to take weeks, if not months, to resolve itself, and questions remain about how to handle the distribution of and timing of the second dose if the shortages remain.

Federal officials also plan to expand distribution efforts, by working with pharmacies, urgent care centers and community leaders and by adding federal sites to the mix. But while supply affects every state, there’s a disparity in how well distribution is going, with roadblocks in some states potentially causing large amounts of vaccine to sit in storage. The federal government should help states establish distribution sites.

In the meantime, there’s an opportunity in the short term to redistribute the unused vaccine supply to get more shots into more arms. The Biden administration should consider giving more doses to states like New York that right now have the staffing and capability to receive more vaccines and dispense them quickly. While such a strategy might be politically fraught, it could be the best way to deal with the shortage in the immediate future. Once the supply pipeline opens further, the doses can spread more widely to states with a network in place to administer the shots.

New York has plans to scale up its efforts, at existing and new state sites, and must clearly communicate with the public, local officials and community leaders so everyone knows what’s available when.

In the near future

More immediately, the Biden administration has to address the confusion and frustration so many are experiencing. This starts with providing state officials with timely details on how many doses they’ll be getting, preferably weeks in advance, to avoid the scrambling that’s going on now. And it means direct messaging to the American public, to ease fears and provide information and guidance, so they can better determine when, where and how they’ll get their shots.

To help calm the ongoing havoc, federal and state officials must be attentive to vaccine hesitancy and refusal. There are many on Long Island and beyond, including health care and long-term care workers, who won’t take the vaccine, or are expressing deep uncertainty. Changing minds requires a sophisticated public awareness campaign to address specific concerns. Mandates would be a last resort if there isn’t more compliance.

What Biden says and does in the coming days and weeks could make the difference between a vaccination strategy that results in turmoil and fear, and one that results in an organized, successful effort to get shots into arms and bring us all closer to the normalcy we all crave.

— The editorial board

Clarification: This editorial has been updated to clarify the number of COVID-19 doses the Biden administration says it hopes to deliver in its first 100 days.