Vaccine rollout is a mess today, but wasn't during the pandemic.
“Gen. Perna is no longer in charge” -- STAT News
The fall Covid-19 vaccine rollout is a mess right now. Nursing homes are still waiting for vaccines. People are being turned away at appointments. Some are being asked to pay.
This is due to a massive shift: vaccines are now commercialized. In other words, the government is no longer responsible for purchasing or distributing Covid-19 vaccines.
More specifically, one person is no longer in charge: General Gus Perna— a four-star general and Chief Operations Officer of Operation Warp Speed.
Many, including me, underappreciated the gargantuan task of promptly, equitably, and smoothly getting Covid-19 vaccines to 330 million people, especially during an emergency. We just arrived at a clinic, and Covid-19 vaccines were magically there.
I attended a summit last week where General Perna shared his story of tackling this massive challenge. It was fantastic—apolitical, funny, honest, inspiring, sober. I bugged and begged the sponsor—Palantir—to get ahold of the recording for you. And I was successful! (Thanks Palantir.)
Watch it. Listen to it. You won’t be disappointed. It gave me a whole new appreciation for this effort, especially right now when it’s hard to find a vaccine. It shows the power of public-private partnerships. And, if anything, it shows how many people were working behind the scenes during the emergency, ultimately saving 3.2 million lives.
Love, YLE
“Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE)” is written by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, M.P.H. Ph.D.—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. During the day, she is a senior scientific consultant to several organizations. At night, she writes this newsletter. Her main goal is to “translate” the ever-evolving public health world so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support this effort, subscribe below:
If Katelyn says “here’s a link” I’m going to watch. This was an exceptional presentation by General Perna. The right person, in the right place, at the right time during a crisis. Very refreshing to watch if you are tired of listening to the endless blather from politicians. His take on leadership, and the collection and use of actionable data, is truly inspiring.
No doubt to say the logistics of the 2021 roll out were gargantuan would be an understatement.
As for today, as you put it, "This is due to a massive shift: vaccines are now commercialized." This reminds me of your other recent post about being careful comparing the US to other countries and how the CDC (or as it has come to be known in my social circles, Center for Disease Creation) made vastly different recommendations than the rest of the modernized world. In that post, you indicated it was because in every measurable metric the US ranks dead last in terms of quality and outcome of healthcare. The US is also the only one that relies of insurance for funding (more on this in a second) in a healthcare for profit industry. So, it is not surprising that this for-profit care industry would do an equally spectacular job with a mass vaccine roll out. Color me shocked, I tell you. Prior to 2020, the political right wing used to crow about how the US had the best healthcare in the world. Thankfully they've gone silent on that one.
As far as insurance, I have long said that it is the wrong financial vehicle for healthcare, especially routine healthcare. Using oil changes as an analogy, which can be considered a form of routine health maintenance for your vehicle, if we were to fund oil changes like we fund healthcare, you would buy a policy with a $100 per month premium to get an oil change every three months. The mechanic would bill the insurance company $500, and they would negotiate it down behind the scenes to $50. While this may sound absurd, if you look at how much most insured people are paying, either directly or through their employer (compensation not seen in their take home) versus how much the care they receive costs ... the parallels should be apparent.