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Why Is CA So Slow At Vaccinating Residents? One Expert Says State Needs A More Centralized Plan
People wait in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination site in a parking lot for Disneyland Resort on January 13, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
California's rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines is one of the slowest in the country. Only 2.5 million residents have received shots so far, out of a state with 40 million people.
Why?
Nick Vyas is the executive director of USC's Center for Global Supply Chain Management. He says the state's approach – which has been to leave most of the planning and distribution of the vaccine to counties and hospitals – simply has not worked.
Vyas say responding to a pandemic is like fighting a war. That requires centralized planning.
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If you have finite resources and a finite capacity, he explained, you should look at the entire state as one system.
"Vaccine distribution is a gigantic supply chain puzzle," he said. "And it cannot just be solved by a local community and municipality working independently [of the state]."
You can listen to the full conversation with Vyas here:
READ MORE ABOUT THE SLOW VACCINE ROLLOUT:
- Here's Why Getting A Coronavirus Vaccine In LA County Is So Hard
- SoCal Residents: Here's How To Figure Out When And Where You Can Get The Vaccine
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