COVID-19 vaccine rollout hasn't worked, but change is coming, could learn from Disney World's scheduling.vaccine panel says

The federal government needs to learn from Disneyland, bank teller lines and airline reservation systems, USA TODAY's panel of vaccine experts said.

Nearly unanimous in condemning the messy COVID-19 vaccine distribution rollout so far, the group also expects the operation will improve under the Biden administration.

What has been lacking, nearly all said, is strong leadership at the national level.

"Federal leadership failed to prepare fully to neutralize this pandemic. They concentrated on the vaccine with much less regard to vaccination," said Dr. Kelly Moore, deputy director of the nonprofit Immunization Action Coalition. "There’s a need for stability, reliability, and a process people can trust."

Improved direction, funding, coordination and communication – which Biden has promised to provide – should solve the problem of getting vaccine from pharmacy freezers and shelves into people's arms, panelists said.

"Those factors, along with consistent, fact-based communications, will help us begin to build up the public’s confidence in these vaccines and in vaccination," Moore said.

So far, the government under President Donald Trump has delivered more than 31 million doses of the two vaccines across America. But only 12 million – or about 39% – have been used.

What's needed, the panelists said, are mass vaccination clinics that together with other distribution methods can deliver more than 1 million shots a day. Biden has promised 100 million shots will be given during his first 100 days in office, which starts Wednesday.

A national scheduling tool would be a first step, according to several panel members, including Prashant Yadav, a medical supply chain expert and senior fellow with the Center for Global Development, an international development think tank based in Washington, D.C., and London.

Disneyland knows how to schedule to maximize riders and minimize lines by giving people hourly arrival windows instead of precise times, he said. Customers waiting for bank tellers join a common line, which moves faster than five separate ones. 

And airlines prioritize seating to keep first-class passengers happy, he noted. Why can't the same be done for people who should be prioritized to receive vaccinations? ...