Zeke Miller
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — For much of the past two years, the United States has been on the front lines of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. Now, as drugmakers develop next-generation treatments, the White House is warning that the U.S. will have to do something if Congress doesn’t act urgently.
The impasse in Congress over virus funding has forced the federal government to reduce free treatment for the uninsured and to ration monoclonal antibodies. Biden administration officials have expressed growing concern that the U.S. is also losing critical access to booster doses and new antiviral pills that could help the country maintain its re-emerging sense of normalcy, even in the face of potential new variants and peak cases.
Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Hong Kong have all ordered doses of treatments and vaccines the U.S. has not yet committed to, according to the White House.
A few months ago, the White House began warning that the country had spent $1.9 trillion of funds in the U.S. rescue package, which went directly to the response to COVID-19. It asked for an additional $22.5 billion to meet “urgent” needs in the United States and abroad.
In March, the Senate passed a smaller $10 billion package targeting domestic demand. But even that deal fell apart as lawmakers opposed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement that it would end Trump-era pandemic-related border restrictions.
The White House has urged doctors to be less stingy when it comes to prescribing the antiviral Paxlovid, which was initially rationed for those at highest risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19 but is now available more widely. A government order for 20 million doses last year helped boost production capacity.
Taking Paxlovid within five days of onset of symptoms has been shown to reduce hospitalizations and deaths by 90% in patients most at risk of developing severe disease. About 314 Americans are now dying from the coronavirus every day, down from more than 2,600 during the peak of the omicron wave earlier this year.
The U.S. has used similar pre-purchase agreements to boost domestic supply and production of a COVID-19 vaccine through what the Trump administration has called Operation Warp Speed.
Now, with the advent of a new generation of treatments, the U.S. is falling behind.
Japan has placed initial orders for drugmaker Shionogi’s upcoming COVID-19 antiviral pill, which studies show are at least as effective as Pfizer’s treatment, with fewer drug-drug interactions and easier to administer.
The U.S. has yet to place an order ahead of schedule because of funding delays, which will help the company scale up production to make the pill widely, officials said.
“We know companies are working on additional, promising, life-saving treatments that can protect the American people, and without additional funding from Congress, we risk losing access to these treatments, tests and vaccines while other countries suffer In the lead we line up,'” White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said. “Congress must act immediately after recess to provide the American people with the funding they need to secure new treatments and avoid this dangerous outcome.”
Further complicating the issue are the long lead times for the manufacture of antiviral and antibody treatments. Paxlovid takes about six months to manufacture, as does monoclonal antibody treatments used to treat COVID-19 and prevent serious diseases of the immunocompromised, meaning the U.S. won’t have time to replenish its stocks before the end of the year.
The White House began reducing shipments of monoclonal antibody treatments to states in March to extend supplies.
Government officials declined to discuss specific treatments they could not order because of contractual requirements.
The funding debate has also hindered U.S. purchases of COVID-19 vaccine boosters, including an upcoming generation of vaccines that may better protect against omicron variants.
Both Moderna and Pfizer are testing what scientists call “bivalent” vaccines — a mix of each company’s original vaccine and an omicron-targeted vaccine — and Moderna announced late last month that it hopes to have its version ready by this fall.
The Biden administration has said that while the U.S. has enough vaccine doses for children under 5, it doesn’t have the money to order a new generation of doses once it gets regulatory approval and a fourth dose for at-risk groups over 50.
Earlier this month, former White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Hong Kong had received future booster doses.
Republicans have shown no signs of backing down, insisting that the Chamber must vote on their efforts to extend Trump-era Section 42 before providing the 10 Republican votes needed to pass the Senate on a COVID-19 funding plan . The coronavirus-related order, which calls for the immediate deportation of nearly all migrants at the border, will be lifted on May 23.
Election-year votes extending the order would be dangerous for Democrats, and many hope such a vote won’t happen. Many privately said they hoped Biden would keep immigration restrictions in place or that courts would delay ending the rules, but Republicans could force a vote anyway.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: “Congress must act so this day is no longer May 23.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said last month that he expects to pass legislation this spring to raise money for COVID-19 and Ukraine. Aid to Ukraine has broad bipartisan support and could help push such a package through Congress, but the Republican opposition has already forced lawmakers to remove funding for a pandemic response.
At least six Democrats, possibly 10 or more, are expected to support the Republican amendment to extend the immigration order enough to ensure its passage.
Such a vote would be dangerous for Democrats from swing districts, who must appeal to a core pro-immigration Democratic constituency without alienating moderates who fear that lifting the restrictions is expected to prompt an increase in immigration.
Republicans haven’t said which language they’ll use, but they could turn to a bipartisan bill from Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford and Arizona Democrat Kristen Sinema.
It will delay any suspension of immigration restrictions until at least 60 days after the U.S. surgeon general declares the pandemic emergency over. The government must also come up with a plan to deal with the projected increase in transit migration. Democrats who have voiced support for maintaining immigration restrictions cited a lack of government planning as their main concern, even as a Biden administration insists it is preparing for more border crossings.
