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What has to happen to get more people vaccinated right now? This is what experts say

What has to happen to get more people vaccinated right now? New 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined this morning by Dr. Matthew Harris to answer this question.

News 12 Staff

Jan 15, 2021, 2:40 PM

Updated 1,426 days ago

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Just hours after President-elect Joe Biden laid out his "American Rescue Plan," he is set to unveil his plan for administering more COVID-19 vaccines.
Biden wants to vaccinate 100 million people in the first 100 days of his presidency.
His plan includes setting setting up mass vaccination centers and sending mobile units to hard-to-reach areas.
Plus hiring 100,000 public health workers to help encourage people to get vaccinated, and to trace the contacts of those infected with the coronavirus.
As we have been reporting, the vaccination rollout has been off to a slow start. Only about 10.3 million people are vaccinated so far, even though more than 29 million doses have been delivered.
And many people across the nation, especially in the tri-state, are outraged over the vaccination rollout. News 12 viewers tell us they have spent hours this week trying to book an appointment, only to end the week with nothing, and no help.
What is the problem getting these shots into arms of Americans? News 12 spoke with Peter Pitts, the president and co-founder of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, he is also the former FDA associate commissioner.
"The problem isn't vaccine denial or vaccine education, it's logistics. It's communications out. We have to pick up the baton and make this happen," says Pitts.
What has to happen to get more people vaccinated right now? New 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined this morning by Dr. Matthew Harris to answer this question. Dr. Harris is the medical director of the Northwell Community Vaccination Program.
We are hearing from so many frustrated viewers - all eligible to get the shot - but unable to book an appointment. Hundreds of people desperately flocked to the Brooklyn Army Terminal, and people making appointments had them canceled at Stony Brook University.
In the video below, Dr. Harris talks about the challenges that need to be overcome:
Where can I get the COVID-19 vaccine? CLICK HERE for more information.
Below are the numbers of vaccines distributed and used.
New York State
3.5% of its population received first dosages of vaccine
36.77% of the distributed doses were used
New Jersey
3% of its population received first dosages of vaccine
39.99% of the distributed doses were used
Connecticut
4.8% of its population received first dosages of vaccine
52.3% of the distributed doses were used
Are we holding back on the vaccines to give the second dosage? This is what Dr. Harris says:
Should we exhaust the vaccination allotment we have now, before administering a second dose? Below is what Dr. Pitts has to say:
Do you think President-elect Joe Biden's vaccine goal of 100 million shots administered by the end of his first 100 days in office is possible? Take a look at our Twitter poll:
Below is what Dr. Harris has to say about Biden's goal:
Dr. David Kessler, who helped speed the development and approval of AIDS drugs in the 1990s, will become the top science official at Operation Warp Speed. George Bush appointed him to lead the FDA in 1990, and he worked with Dr. Anthony Fauci.