Bloomberg Philanthropies, U.S. Conference of Mayors announce vaccine partnership

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced on Wednesday a partnership to help mayors across the country prepare for the distribution of limited stocks of the coronavirus vaccine.

Why it matters: Although the Trump administration is leaving it up to governors to decide who gets vaccinated and when, mayors will play a major role in coordinating distribution between state and local governments and building trust in an environment in which health authorities have frequently been questioned.

Details: The Bloomberg-USCM partnership will focus on supporting cities in three areas: expanding resident engagement, offering guidance on vaccine administration, and ensuring that local governments have access to the latest information on the virus and vaccine development to address people's immunization concerns.

What they're saying: "Mayors have driven the local response to this pandemic from the beginning, and mayors are going to be central to ending it," said Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. 

• "Distributing these vaccines and building confidence in them is the last big hurdle to ending this health and economic crisis and returning to our way of life," he added.

Worth noting: Local intervention is particularly important in communities of color, who are experiencing higher rates of coronavirus infections and deaths.