Summary
As the United States surpasses 200,000 COVID-19 deaths and hovers around 40,000 new COVID-19 cases per day, the Trump administration and pharmaceutical manufacturers have sought to develop, manufacture, and distribute a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine at an unprecedented pace. The likely limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines, at least initially, has also raised questions about who will receive the COVID-19 vaccine and when. In addition, a patchwork of existing policies and new federal requirements enacted in the various coronavirus relief bills govern COVID-19 vaccine coverage, subsequently influencing timely and affordable access to a vaccine.
With multiple COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development and potentially available – at least to a segment of the U.S. population – in the coming months, the Wynne Health Group developed this issue brief to provide a state of play on COVID-19 vaccine policy developments. Specifically, we discuss:
- vaccine development, manufacturing, and distribution;
- prioritization of COVID-19 vaccine distribution; and
- coverage and costs.