Bipartisan Group of Governors Express Frustration Over Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Efforts

Governors from both parties are now sounding the alarm as Americans continue to suffer.

February 16, 2021

The bipartisan National Governors Association sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday voicing major concerns regarding the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccine distribution process.

In the letter, nearly a dozen Republican and Democrat governors — including Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Colorado Governor Jared Polis — criticized the CDC’s methods of providing public information, saying the CDC has “created unnecessary confusion.” They also criticized the lack of coordination between states and the federal government.

The Hill: “‘We believe it is important that the CDC in its reporting distinguish between these separate efforts to avoid confusion and provide a clear understanding to the American people,’ the letter states. ‘States also need visibility into the federal vaccination efforts at the facility level happening in our borders.'”

This cry for help comes on the heels of an underperforming vaccination rollout from the Biden administration. States like Michigan and Colorado are still facing a very limited vaccine supply, which has negative repercussions for their more vulnerable communities.

Detroit Free Press: “Because vaccine supply is still so limited, it also means hospital systems like Henry Ford, Michigan Medicine and Beaumont Health aren’t getting as many doses as they need to swiftly immunize their patients.

“All three health systems said Monday that they cannot schedule any new, first-dose appointments for patients 65 and older this week because they don’t have enough supply.”

The Denver Post: “When doses are in short supply, getting a vaccine depends on being able to navigate an online signup process that works against people who don’t speak English or have low levels of literacy, said Nancy Berlinger, a research scholar at the Hastings Center, a bioethics research institution. That means the people who most need protection – especially those who live in crowded housing with frontline workers – are the least likely to get it, she said.”

Bottom line: Joe Biden has repeatedly attempted to move the goalposts as his administration fails to implement a robust vaccination program. Governors from both parties are now sounding the alarm as Americans continue to suffer.