When it was revealed that Joe Biden has won the race to the White House, it became a cause for celebrations in the country. However, Donald Trump has refused to accept Biden’s clear win and has decided to fight legal battles.
Trump’s stubbornness is not only tarnishing his reputation but also risking the lives of millions of American citizens as the coronavirus becomes a bigger threat. Instead of facilitating, Trump is refusing to bring the new administration up to date with the corona situation by blocking the transition process as much as he can.
The officials in charge of developing a vaccine, especially those overseeing Operation Warp Speed, have had no contact with Biden’s newly appointed corona taskforce. The new administration is unaware of distribution plans made previously, which could possibly result in the vaccine coming out much later than initially planned.
A senior health official commented that planning to distribute the vaccine all over the states efficiently is a time-consuming process. Governors working with Operation Warp Speed are busy working out the respective capacities of their states to manage and purchase the vaccine when it is approved to be released.
The federal government has also devised a distribution plan to prioritize getting the vaccine to healthcare workers at the front line as well as military personnel. To ensure that there are no discrepancies between the plans of individual states and the federal government, detailed communication is vital between all the parties involved.
Former director of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, mentioned that she does not see any hope for Biden being able to convince Trump to cooperate. However, she wishes that the vaccination plans sent by governors to the White House be immediately shared with Biden.
By doing so, his administration can decide whom the vaccine needs to be given on an urgent basis and in what sequence this is done. As hospital charges continue to sky-rocket along with the number of confirmed cases, Trump continues to make matters worse by refusing to share valuable information with the president-elect, putting his own interests first.
