No time to lose

TWENTY MILLION. THAT WAS THE NUMBER OF Americans who were supposed to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by now. Instead, just under 5 million people have received a shot, and 17 million doses have been shipped to the states and other jurisdictions that are distributing them to hospitals, doctors and pharmacies. “There is a complete lack of federal leadership, and it’s just horrifying,” says Dr. Tom Frieden, a former director of the CDC. “We heard, ‘It’s our job as Operation Warp Speed to deliver vaccines to states. Then it’s their job from there.’ But that’s not how public health works in the U.S.”

As it is, state and local health departments are struggling