Operation Warp Speed plots new path for COVID-19 vaccine distribution, expands population of vaccine-eligible patients

The Department of Health and Human Services and Operation Warp Speed today said they will immediately broaden the population of those eligible to be vaccinated from COVID-19. In an effort to quickly increase the number of vaccinated individuals, the federal government will ask states to begin vaccinating patients over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions that place them at risk for COVID-19. The basis upon which vaccines are distributed to states is also changing; weekly shipments of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be determined by the size of states’ 65-and-over population, along with how quickly shots are administered.

A new Kaiser Family Foundation analysis finds that states are increasingly departing from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s original recommendations as they move through the first three phases of distribution, known as Phases 1a, 1b and 1c.