DeSantis Defends Pop-Up Vaccination Clinic; Pennsylvania Warns Of Second-Dose Delays After Misuse

The Hill: DeSantis Threatens To Divert Vaccines From Communities Criticizing Distribution 
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Wednesday threatened to divert coronavirus vaccines from communities that criticize his distribution efforts. DeSantis made the remarks at a news conference amid criticism that he arranged for seniors in two wealthy neighborhoods to be given priority vaccine access, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. (Gstalter, 2/17)

CNN: DeSantis Defends Controversial Vaccine Deal With Developer -- And Threatens To Pull Vaccines If Officials Don't Like It
Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has threatened to move a pop-up vaccination clinic that his state has set up in an affluent community in Manatee County after he was confronted with allegations of political favoritism and preference for the wealthy at a news conference Wednesday. (Toropin, 2/17)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pa. Faces A Vaccine Shortage That Could Delay Shots For 100,000
More than 100,000 Pennsylvanians could be forced to wait days or weeks longer for their coronavirus shots after mistakes made by vaccine providers and possible miscommunication from the state led to a massive shortage of doses, officials said Wednesday. State health officials said they discovered only last weekend that some providers had been improperly using doses of the two-part Moderna vaccine, giving out their supply of second shots as first doses instead. They said the misuse of second shots had been going on for weeks, though they could not explain exactly why or how it happened, or why it went undetected. (McDaniel and McCarthy, 2/17)

Bloomberg: Microsoft Vaccine Scheduling Software Deal Ended By Iowa
Iowa is backing out of a plan to use Microsoft Corp. software for registering patients and scheduling Covid-19 vaccinations, the latest challenge to the software giant’s efforts to make money helping states overwhelmed with residents looking for shots. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced the change of heart at a news conference Wednesday, saying state officials concluded it would be too hard to combine existing scheduling systems and were trying to avoid disruptions. The state will instead focus on bolstering its current systems. Just last week, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and members of his administration complained about significant glitches in that state’s Microsoft-built vaccination scheduling system. (Bass and Joyce, 2/18)

Capital & Main: California's Vaccine Push Excludes Its Community Clinics
If there is a path that leads to an equitable distribution of potential life-saving doses of COVID-19 vaccines in California, it almost inevitably will end at the doorstep of the state’s battered community clinic system. Plagued by financial woes, fighting at times to keep the doors open, these clinics remain the primary point of contact for millions of low income and uninsured patients across the state. But the early returns on California’s vaccination rollout present a vivid study in contrast: The state’s better off residents are commanding a disproportionate share of the doses. And as a recent letter from the clinics’ statewide organization to Gov. Gavin Newsom makes clear, that won’t change until the clinics themselves are fully incorporated in the vaccination effort. (Kreidler, 2/17)

Bangor Daily News: Details Scant On Maine’s Plan To Subject COVID-19 Vaccine Providers To More Scrutiny
Maine will introduce a new set of performance measures to scrutinize COVID-19 vaccine providers more closely when it comes to how quickly they are giving shots in a move that could change where doses are sent across the state. The state has not yet determined the set of metrics, a Maine Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said, but a Tuesday memo to providers indicated they will be used to help clinics improve performance or lead the state to send vaccines elsewhere. (Andrews, 2/18)

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: U.S. Increasing State's Doses; No OK Needed For Gatherings Up To 100, Governor Says
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday that the state next week will receive its biggest increase so far in its weekly allocation of coronavirus vaccine from the federal government. Hutchinson also announced that the state Department of Health has revised its rules so that indoor events with up to 100 people can once again be held without submitting a plan to the department for approval. (Davis, 2/17)

Boston Globe: Civil Rights And Immigration Activists Join Public Health Leaders, Elected Officials In Calling For Vaccine Distribution Equity
The Vaccine Equity Now! Coalition is composed of 11 local and statewide organizations, including the New England Area Conference of the NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, and La Colaborativa in Chelsea. The group issued a set of five demands. It called for a state investment of $10 million in trusted local organizations for outreach and engagement in communities of color; immediate implementation of the administration’s promise to set aside 20 percent of the doses to supplement vaccine allocations in the most affected communities; and the establishment and monitoring of clear goals to ensure equity in vaccine distribution. (Pan and Finucane, 2/17)