Why the vaccine rollout was a disaster

Hello,

Today in healthcare news: Why the vaccine rollout was a disaster, what pharmacies are doing to try and change that, and how Starbucks will play a role in distributing vaccines.

Why America's vaccine rollout was a total disaster - and what it means for the next few months

• The US developed coronavirus vaccines in record time last year.
• But the process of getting those shots into people's arms is going horrendously slow, just as more Americans are dying from the virus than ever before.
• The blame lies with a president who either forgot - or didn't care enough - to finish off the country's vaccination plan, setting the US on the back foot.
• There are promising signs that this vaccine drive is going to accelerate soon. But the delay has already caused thousands of deaths, and it will be a challenge to come back from.

Read the full analysis from Hilary Brueck here>>

How Walgreens, CVS, Kroger, and other retailers plan to leverage tech, convenience, and public trust to get the chaotic mass vaccine rollout back on track

• On Thursday retail pharmacies began administering COVID-19 vaccines to the elderly in New York.
• National drug chains like CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid are slated to be major players in the vaccine rollout.
• So are pharmacies operated out of retail giants like Walmart and Kroger.
• National retailers could offer brand name recognition that will foster convenience and encourage public trust in the vaccines.

Read the full story from Áine Cain, Irene Jiang, and Shelby Livingston here>>

Washington state recruits Starbucks to help with its COVID-19 vaccine rollout

• Washington state has partnered with Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks on its COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
• Several Starbucks staff will work full-time on the rollout, choosing and designing vaccination sites.
• "I just did the math, and figured out at this rate of vaccination, it's going to take six, seven, eight years for this country to get vaccinated," Starbucks' CEO Kevin Johnson told NBC News.

Read the full story from Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce here>>

More stories we're reading:

• A conversation with outgoing FDA commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn (Bloomberg)
• Health officials slam Walgreens and CVS for 'fiasco' vaccine rollout to nursing homes (Business Insider)
• Operation Warp Speed created vaccine chaos. The Biden administration has to figure out where to go from here.(ProPublica)
• Fauci says a new COVID-19 vaccine could be ready for US approval within weeks (Business Insider)

- Lydia