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Ex FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb accuses government of 'throttling' Covid vaccine supply by holding back SEVEN MILLION doses for second jab and urges officials to trust Pfizer to make more

Ex FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb has criticized the government for holding back seven million doses of the Pfizer vaccine as second doses.

Gottlieb urged the government to vaccinate as many as possible now with the first dose, which provides some defense against coronavirus on its own, and trust that Pfizer will have the second doses ready in time.

'They are being throttled, and I think the government has admitted they're doing that. They are holding back doses,' said Gottlieb, who headed up the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 until April 2019 and is now on the board of Pfizer.

The drug company had shipped three million doses, as of Thursday, but the Department of Health and Human Services has acknowledged they have seven million more in the warehouse, which were being held back as second doses.

Gottlieb said leaving doses sitting in warehouses, while cases, deaths and hospitalizations reach record levels in America, is 'not the right decision'. 

He argued that there should be 'confidence' that the manufacturing will keep up with the pace needed for people to receive their second shots and that it would be 'far more valuable from a public health standpoint' to get as many people vaccinated now.  

Ex-FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has weighed in on the vaccine distribution spat slamming the government for holding back Pfizer jabs from states saying it is 'not the right decision' while 'we're at the peak of the epidemic'

Ex-FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has weighed in on the vaccine distribution spat slamming the government for holding back Pfizer jabs from states saying it is 'not the right decision' while 'we're at the peak of the epidemic'

'I think they should be leaning forward and trying to get more doses in people now and have some confidence that the manufacturing is going to keep up,' Mediaite reports.  

'The 25 million doses that has promised for December have largely been manufactured and many more of the lots are released - I mean ready to be shipped than what are being shipped actually,' he said. 

'They could be shipping many more than they are. I think they're trying to manage the supply chain. I think they're trying to get Moderna and Pfizer to parity. I think they might be concerned that if they stuff too much vaccine into the supply chain, some of it could go unused, perhaps.

'I don't know exactly what their thinking is,' he added. 'This is what I would be speculating as to why they are doing that. 

'My advice would be try to get as many shots in arms now as possible, because we're at the peak of the epidemic right now, or entering the peak. And we know these vaccines are partially protected even after the first dose.'

The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses taken 21 days apart, with the individual having almost full protection after the second dose. However, the vaccine also offers some protection after just the first dose. 

Meanwhile, the US hit another grim record for hospitalizations Friday, just days after the nation recorded its deadliest day since the pandemic began. 

Gottlieb, who headed up the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 until April 2019 and is now on the board of Pfizer, accused the government of 'throttling' the supply to US states and said it would be more effective to get 'as many shots in arms' as possible right now

Gottlieb, who headed up the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 until April 2019 and is now on the board of Pfizer, accused the government of 'throttling' the supply to US states and said it would be more effective to get 'as many shots in arms' as possible right now

The former FDA boss added that more people being vaccinated now would be better for the public as infections, hospitalizations and deaths are soaring to record levels across the states. 

'A vaccination this week is going to be far more valuable from a public health standpoint than a vaccination five weeks from now,' he said.  

'So I'd be trying to vaccinate more people than they are and as many people as possible right now.'

'If we can get more first doses in people right now, you can start to have an impact on the epidemic we're going through.' 

On Thursday Pfizer issued a statement saying it had successfully shipped 2.9 million doses to US states but that it has 'millions more doses sitting in our warehouse.

'But, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses,' the healthcare giant said.  

The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses taken 21 days apart, with the individual having almost full protection after the second dose. However the vaccine also offers some protection after just the first dose

The Pfizer vaccine requires two doses taken 21 days apart, with the individual having almost full protection after the second dose. However the vaccine also offers some protection after just the first dose

Respiratory Care Practitioner David Hamlin receives a dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday at Valley Childrens Hospital in Madera, California

Respiratory Care Practitioner David Hamlin receives a dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday at Valley Childrens Hospital in Madera, California

Senior administration officials did not deny the claims, saying the statement was technically accurate, but that this had been the plan all along so that anyone receiving the first jab will also receive the second. 

The federal officials said Pfizer committed to provide 6.4 million doses of its vaccine in the first week after approval. 

But the federal Operation Warp Speed planned to distribute only 2.9 million of those doses right away with another 2.9 million were to be held at Pfizer's warehouse to guarantee that individuals vaccinated the first week would be able to get their second shot later.  

The government is also holding the additional 500,000 doses as a reserve against unforeseen problems.

Pfizer said it remains confident it can deliver up to 50 million doses globally this year and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.

Several states complained this week that they had received smaller shipments of the vaccine than expected and were also expecting far fewer doses next week, sparking concerns about potential delays for healthcare workers and long-term care residents to get vaccinated against the deadly virus. 

Pfizer said Thursday it had 'millions of doses' of its COVID-19 vaccine sitting in warehouses but were still awaiting shipping instructions from the federal government. Above, workers prepare the vaccine for shipment

Pfizer said Thursday it had 'millions of doses' of its COVID-19 vaccine sitting in warehouses but were still awaiting shipping instructions from the federal government. Above, workers prepare the vaccine for shipment

Boxes containing the Pfizer vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant. Government officials then hit back saying this had been the plan all along to ensure people getting the first jab can also get the second booster jab

Boxes containing the Pfizer vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant. Government officials then hit back saying this had been the plan all along to ensure people getting the first jab can also get the second booster jab

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said Wednesday he feared many Americans will not receive the jabs until some time after the official timeline.  

'This development will likely cut our state's projected Pfizer shipments this month by roughly half,' Pritzker said. 

'The same is true across the rest of the nation.'  

On Friday, the FDA authorized distribution of a second COVID-19 vaccine in the US, granting emergency approval to Moderna's jab which is 94 per cent effective. 

Ahead of its approval, officials allocated and readied 5.9 million doses of the shot to be sent to states over the next week. 

Shipments could begin as early as tomorrow with the first jabs likely to start Monday. 

The first Americans received Pfizer's vaccine Monday. 

New York intensive care nurse Sandra Lindsay became the first person in the US to receive the vaccine Monday as part of the first phase of roll out to healthcare workers. 

Hundreds of thousands of people have since been vaccinated, with healthcare workers and nursing home and long-term care facility residents the first to receive the vaccine now.

The second phase is expected to start in January 2021 and will include non healthcare essential workers, people with chronic health conditions ad people over 50.

Last to get the jab will be young adults and children from spring 2021.     

Hospitalizations reached record levels Friday with 114,751 patients across America, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

Cases also increased by 228,825 in a single day while an additional 2,751 people died. 

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