Sen. Mitt Romney\u00a0(R-Utah) on Friday attacked the Trump administration for its\u00a0 \u201cincomprehensible\u201d and \u201cinexcusable\u201d failure to meet its own coronavirus\u00a0vaccination goals, as thousands of Americans die after contracting the virus every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat comprehensive vaccination plans have not been developed at the federal level and sent to the states as models is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable,\u201d Romney said in a press release. \u201cWhen something isn\u2019t working, you need to acknowledge reality and develop a plan \u2014 particularly when hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officials in President Donald Trump\u2019s administration\u00a0promised that 20 million people would be vaccinated against COVID-19 by the end of 2020, but only 2.8 million had been inoculated as of Wednesday, and the federal government had only shipped 12.4 million doses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pfizer, the creator of one of the two vaccines currently being used, said earlier this month that millions of doses were languishing in warehouses awaiting shipment orders from the Trump administration.<\/p>\n
Trump promised in October that he would use the military to deliver the vaccinations, but that has not come to pass. \u201cWe have the military ready to deliver it. It\u2019s going to be incredible,\u201d he said at a Nevada campaign rally. \u201cWe have a general, that\u2019s what he does. He delivers soldiers and delivers everything. This is easy for them. It\u2019ll be delivered very, very rapidly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now the outgoing president is blaming states for the delays, ordering them to \u201cget moving.\u201d<\/p>\n
States, meanwhile, are struggling with surges in cases, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, and have few resources left to roll out a mass inoculation operation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Romney complained that it was\u00a0\u201cunrealistic to assume that the health care workers already overburdened with COVID care could take on a massive vaccination program.\u201d<\/p>\n
He suggested that the Trump administration consult with people who have been in charge of mass vaccination programs for advice. He also called on the administration to enlist anyone with health training not currently engaged in patient care \u2014 including retirees, combat medics and medical students \u2014 to help with vaccinations, and establish a vast network of sites where vaccinations could be obtained, such as schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless new strategies and plans are undertaken, the deadly delays may be compounded as broader and more complex populations are added,\u201d Romney warned in his statement. \u201cWe are already behind; urgent action now can help us catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump either is unaware of or doesn\u2019t care about the problem. He boasted in a tweet Thursday that \u201ceveryone is calling to thank me\u201d for the \u201cmiracle\u201d of the vaccines \u2014 which were developed by private companies.<\/p>\n
The U.S. has tallied 20 million cases of COVID-19 \u2014 nearly a quarter of the total number of cases worldwide \u2014 as of the first day of 2021, after the deadliest month for coronavirus yet: The country recorded\u00a0more than 77,000 deaths\u00a0from the virus in December. There were a record-breaking 3,750 deaths on Wednesday, nearly 21% more than the number of Americans killed on 9\/11.<\/p>\n
A HuffPost Guide To Coronavirus<\/strong><\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/s.m.huffpost.com\/assets\/HuffPostHero-d783f680fb974e80346bdfa145131d058e596e1d32f791981875aa481702c770.svg\")