federal government bridge access program It was announced last year in anticipation of the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the provision of free coronavirus vaccines and treatments.
It worked by partnering with pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens, and eTrueNorth to provide vaccines to the uninsured. The program was scheduled to last until the end of this year, but the CDC announced this week that its expiration date has been extended through the end of 2020. August.
This program has provided more than 1.4 million free COVID-19 vaccines Since its launch in September 2023 at a cost of over $1 billion.There are an estimated 25-30 million uninsured adults in the United States.
“Congress’ rescission of COVID-19 funds in the Fiscal Year 2024 Supplemental Consolidated Appropriations Act forced us to make difficult decisions about the future of CDC activities supported by these funds,” a CDC spokesperson said. told The Hill.
FY 2024 Government Funding Bill Repealed No-obligation COVID-19 funding. But the CDC says it will use some of that funding to support the upcoming fall 2024 respiratory virus season, “including the purchase of updated vaccines and the underlying infrastructure to facilitate distribution, management, and uptake.” He said he was planning to use it for
“A small amount of free vaccines may be available through the Department of Health’s immunization program from August onwards, but supplies will be very limited,” the spokesperson said.
The Food and Drug Administration will meet next month to next stock Eligible for this year’s SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The CDC has advocated for a vaccine for adults to be included in the White House’s budget request, but the funding process is not expected to be completed before the fall vaccine rollout.
