The Honorable Norris Cochran

Acting Secretary

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, Southwest

Washington, D.C. 20201

Dear Acting Secretary Cochran:

Thank you for your continued efforts to distribute the coronavirus vaccines to states as quickly and efficiently as possible. The Trump Administration made tremendous progress when it comes to vaccine development, and your work to get the vaccine out moves us closer to our goal of providing a vaccine to every American that wants one. We are not going to be successful in combatting the coronavirus until that goal is met, and we all have to work together to tackle this immense challenge.

The Biden Administration’s plan to administer 1.5 million shots a day in the coming weeks and give 150 million vaccinations over the next 100 days will require a coordinated effort among federal, state, territorial, local jurisdictions and private entities. Since the beginning of this pandemic, I have called for as much transparency as possible so American families can make the best decisions for their health and safety. There is still confusion when it comes to the vaccine rollout, and it is clear more needs to be done so that Americans have all available information. My office has heard from several local elected officials and communities that are requesting more certainty in vaccine distribution so they can communicate expectations to the overwhelming amount of constituents eager to receive a vaccine. I am writing today to ask that you answer the following:

• Can you provide details on what changes you will make at the federal level to speed up vaccine distribution? What specific actions will enable you to meet this 150 million goal?
• Do you need the approval of Janssen Pharmaceutical and AstraZeneca’s vaccine to be able to hit the goal of 150 million vaccinations in 100 days?
• Are the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine production lines at capacity? Do you plan to expand their production capacity? If so, how and how long will it be until that happens?
• Are there second dose vaccines held in reserve or have they all been released to the states?
• What is your method for determining vaccines allocations to each state? Will you prioritize allocations based on state population over the age of 65?
• How are you communicating and coordinating with the states so they know exactly how many doses of vaccines to expect week to week so they can properly plan for distribution?
• Do you have lines of communication open to assist local governments with questions on vaccine availability and distribution?
• What pharmaceutical companies have contracts with HHS for vaccines? How many vaccines will HHS purchase from each company, and how many additional vaccines does HHS have the option to purchase from each company? When were the companies supposed to deliver these vaccines per the terms of their contract?

Thank you for your prompt response as we continue to work to ensure every American who wants a vaccine can get one in a quick and efficient manner.

Sincerely,

Rick Scott

United States Senator

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