Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette Heads Hearing About COVID Vaccine Rollout

DENVER (CBS4)- Colorado ranks in the top 10 in the nation in administering vaccines but nationally, almost half of the distributed doses have not been administered. On Tuesday, Colorado Congresswoman Diana DeGette headed a hearing about the vaccine rollout.

"The biggest challenge I'm hearing from states right now is simply a lack of supply. After some initial challenges with administering the vaccine, state and local communities say that now the demand far exceeds the supply and they stand ready to vaccinate more Americans if they can just get the doses they need," said DeGette.

She also addressed how to speed up distribution of COVID-19 vaccines throughout the country.

"The Biden administration recently announced a comprehensive national strategy for the COVID-19 pandemic, something this committee has long called for. This plan advances urgently needed solutions to mount a successful vaccination program, restore trust with the American people, and mitigate the spread of the virus – while, at the same time, providing the emergency relief that Americans desperately need," said DeGette.

One issue that health directors around the country emphasized, including in Colorado, was about the need for more help from the federal government.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Jill Hunsaker told the group that it needs to be more than just emergency funding.

"This response is going to be with us for a long time. COVID is not going away and we're going to need sustained dollars," said Hunsaker.

Hunsaker said the vaccination program and communication with the federal government has improved in the past months.

The Biden administration will start shipping doses directly to pharmacies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a partnership with CVS is set to begin on Feb. 11.