FALSE POSITIVE

States Told Vaccine Stockpile Promised by Trump Admin Doesn’t Exist

State officials are frustrated after HHS walked back a promise to release more badly needed COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Days after Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that doses of coronavirus vaccine that were being held back for second-round doses would be distributed, it turns out there’s almost no stockpile left. Instead, HHS had already distributed that reserve starting from the end of December. State officials are now furious, especially because many states began expanding eligibility to new groups of people, including essential workers and adults over 65, in anticipation of receiving more doses in the coming weeks. Federal officials say they are confident that those who got a first dose will be able to get their second on time. Oregon Gov. Kate Brown called the news “disturbing.”