Trump Administration Makes Sweeping Changes to Speed Up Pace of COVID-19 Vaccinations

The Trump administration will recommend giving a coronavirus vaccine to everyone over 65 in the country, in an attempt to accelerate lagging distribution as COVID-19 deaths have soared to their highest levels since the pandemic began, reports The Hill . The move is part of a host of changes intended to speed up the pace of inoculations and make more vaccines available to the public. In addition to the eligibility changes, health officials are also adding more community centers and pharmacies to the list of places where people can be vaccinated. The Department of Health and Human Services will also no longer hold back vaccine doses to ensure that those who receive a first dose will have a second dose in reserve. Instead, all existing doses will be sent to states to provide initial inoculations. Second doses are to be provided by new waves of manufacturing. The sweeping changes are a major departure from current administration policy, and align with a plan unveiled by President-elect Joe Biden to release nearly every available vaccine dose. The Trump administration has been holding back half of the available doses to ensure there is enough supply for everyone who is getting a first dose to later get a second dose as well. "We now believe that our manufacturing is predictable enough that we can ensure second doses are available for people from ongoing production," said HHS Secretary Alex Azar. "So everything is now available to our states and our health care providers."