Dentists added to expanding nationwide legion of shot-givers – and why not? Emergency Medical Technicians – sure, makes sense. Medical students – can always use the practice. Veterinarians – they give…wait, what?
March 16, 2021
By Andrew Squibley and Arthur Bushwhacker, Bringing Spring-Break Superspreaders to a Neighborhood Near You
“Democracy Dies In Darkness…And Bureaucracy, Just Check With The EU”
WASHINGTON (Rueters) – The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) today praised US President Joe Biden’s announcement that veterinarians would be included in the country’s expanding army of Covid-19 vaccinators, unbelievably joining health-care professionals who actually work with humans — while also shifting the meaning of “herd immunity.”
In a rare joint statement, the association that saves animals who’ve fallen on hard times, plus the one representing those who milk the critters’ misfortunes for every dollar they can, said they were “excited and honored to play such an important role in protecting the health of the American people — even if we aren’t sure what we’re doing.”
Thousands of current and retired health-care professionals will be added to the rapidly growing nationwide Covid-19 vaccination effort, including dentists, paramedics, midwives, optometrists, physician assistants, podiatrists, respiratory therapists, medical students and the somewhat controversial choice of veterinarians, said a spokesman for the Center for Veterinary Medicine, a division of the US Food and Drug Administration. “All paws on deck,” she told Rueters.
The administration previously authorized any physician or most classes of nurse either active or retired in the past five years to administer the shots.
US veterinarians total roughly 115,000, including about 30,000 who are retired, according to CVM data. “If we can get them putting vaccines into people at the rate of, say, 10,000 a day, that could have a seriously positive impact on reaching herd immunity (about 75% of US adults), with the emphasis on herd,” she added.
AVMA executives have been meeting with federal health officials in recent weeks to discuss how best to the use vets in the Biden administration’s push to average more than two and a half million vaccinations in the US daily. “We think our best bet is a focus on intensive, short-term medical training,” a senior official with the veterinarian’s group told Rueters.
“Most vets either washed out of medical school or never got in in the first place. This is their big chance to prove they have what it takes to work with people,” an association manager said with the promise of anonymity.
CVM officials told Rueters they will make the learning process as simple and straightforward as possible. “We don’t have a lot of time if we’re going to get everyone at least their first shots by May or June,” the spokesman said. “And, for vets, we know from a century of experience, the simpler the better.”
The move to include vets in the rapid national ramping up of daily vaccinations comes as the country is poised to soon administer the 100 millionth shot since its inoculation campaign began on December 14. Biden said he wants every adult to be eligible for a vaccine by May 1, with the goal of Americans beginning to return to normal lives by July 4, the United States independence day.
“The Department of Health and Human Services will launch a new portal to help individuals determine where they can sign up to volunteer to administer shots, including most PetSmarts and Petcos,” Marcella Nunez-Smith, who leads the administration’s health equity task force, told reporters.
The United States is currently vaccinating around 2.2 million shots per day, while almost 65 percent of Americans 65 and older have gotten at least their first shot.
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