Getting Beyond the “Last Mile!”ByRaymond D. Matkowsky
We are in the middle of a pandemic. The U.S. Center for Disease Control has predicted that 508,000 people in the United States will lose their lives by the end of February 2021. Worldwide several million have already lost their lives. There is light at the end of the tunnel, however. A number of vaccines have become available. Pfizer, Inc. now says that they will be able to deliver within the United States 200 million doses of their vaccine two months earlier than anticipated. This is on top of what they already delivered. The new administration in addition has ordered an additional 100 million doses of the Pfizer’s vaccine and 100 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine. The 200 additional doses should total enough to vaccinate the entire U.S. population by the end of summer 2021.
Unfortunately in the United States, the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, so far, has been messy to say the least. The U.S. was supposed to vaccinate 20 million by the end of December 2020. They only got to a few million. With the new administration, we now find out that there was a stretchy plan at best to distribute the vaccine. Let’s hope this administration does better.
Getting the vaccine into someone’s arm is the “Last Mile.” This is the hardest part. The vaccines have not really been in short supply. This supply will further increase with the introduction of new vaccines in the next few weeks. This is a logistical problem not a supply problem. It is up to the federal government to get the vaccines to the localities. It is up to the responders at the localities to get the vaccines into people’s arms. We need to get beyond that last mile faster, if we want the economy to recover faster. If people are not healthy or fear going out, there will be no recovery.
The Economy is Suspended in Time
I am devoted to taking and reading surveys. Several such surveys have shown that people believe it will be another six months or more before we can return to normal. Many businesses cannot survive if they have to wait that long. As a business owner or manager remember that your wealth depends on people’s health! That is why the pace of vaccinations needs to reach warp speed.
Dr. Fauci, the head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says that “If we do efficiently {getting the vaccine into people’s arms} from April, May, June, July, August, by the time we get to the beginning of fall, we should have that degree protection that I think can get us back to some form of normality.” Again, can businesses, especially small businesses, wait that long?
The “Last Mile”
I think back to when I was a child and the polio vaccination efforts and years later the initial flu vaccinations. There were lessons learned from both events.
First of all, everyone involved realized that mass vaccinations and speed were necessary. Second, a central coordinating entity was an absolute necessity. The introduction of the polio vaccine was a private endeavor that found itself caught between the federal and state governments, thousands of local governments and local authorities. This slowed down the process and endangered the necessary public education and support.
When it came to a flu vaccine, many of the same problems remained. The difference was a small number of businesses took things into their own hands. They had the company doctor innoculate willing staff members. They had decided it was cheaper to innoculate their staff than to have many people out because of the flu. This was about fifty years ago. Since then many companies are doing the same now.
A Proposal to Get Beyond The “Last Mile” Faster
I propose that companies do with the Covid-19 vaccine as they did with the first flu vaccines and many do now. Innoculate your workers. People may be more receptive to getting a vaccine if they don’t have to go out of their way and wait hours in line to do so. Make sure your employees stay healthy and do not add to the grim statistics. Your employees and the public will look more kindly toward your company. Beneficial public perceptions aid sales!
There may be a number of road blocks to this suggestion. You have to get government on board. Governments will have to refocus their priorities on the general population rather than higher risk groups. By inoculating the general population you will be protecting the higher risk groups also by reducing their chances of exposure. You will also reduce the risk of further mutations.
Pharmacies are mentioned as some of the places that may be utilized. Pharmacies are involved now in innoculating nursing home residents. Why not employment locations? This may be an approach that can be taken. Changes in thinking should help get us through “Last Miles” faster!
Word of Caution
It would be wise to make sure each of your employees undergo proper vetting to determine if there is the possibility adverse reactions such as allergies to medication components or conflicts with medications the employee has been prescribed. But, be careful of the types of questions asked. Some employees may be reluctant to answer questions that may indicate medical conditions that they do not want to reveal and consequently refuse to take the vaccine.
Alternative Points of View
I fully realize that there may be other ideas out there. Some may be better. Some may be easier to implement. We need new ideas put forward and reviewed. If you do have an idea, put it forward. We need alternatives.
This is a social issue and most businesses prefer to stay out of social issues. This is an issue that affects your livelihood though. Can you afford to sit back? If you get involved you will not only be benefiting your company, but also society.
If you have any further suggestions, do not keep it to yourself. Help your fellow readers!
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions drop me a line at rdm@datastats.com.
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