The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines around the country is not meeting the goal of what has been originally expected, officials said.
“This pandemic is horrible in every way. The lives and livelihood of the American people are affected in a massive way. As we go forward, we must make sure that we are scientific and determined to crush the virus,” said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
The goal of Operation Warp Speed was to deliver 300 million doses of COVID vaccines across the U.S. by January 2021 -- an unrealistic aim given the current distribution of vaccines.
Pelosi is blaming the the White House for the slower-than-expected pace of vaccine delivery and distribution.
“We need a bigger spotlight on the problem and on some of the solutions that we can all participate in,” Pelosi said.
As of Monday, 71,256 people in Michigan have been injected with the vaccine compared to the 313,375 doses distributed to the state.
However, Michigan’s numbers will be increasing even more, as 486 facilities in the state are currently offering the vaccine. Veterans have now been added to the list of those allowed to receive the vaccine in the state. On Wednesday, vaccinations for veterans were given out at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center for the first time.
“The VA here called and asked me if I wanted to be the first to get the vaccine. I said ‘of course,’” veteran Edward Hix said.
“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Whitmer has called on the federal government to have a national strategy when it comes to combating this virus and continues to do so because lives are at stake. Thankfully, under the Biden-Harris administration, it’s clear that we will have officials that listen to science, data, and subject matter experts.”
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's team
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