Despite Warnings, New Covid Shot Prices Are Surprising Some
Covid vaccines were free until the pandemic public health emergency ended. Even though some pharmacies have signs for "free" shots, insurers and patients are being billed for them. Meanwhile, Pfizer expects 1 in 4 in the U.S. will get shots this year.
CBS News:
'Nightmare': Some Planning To Get New COVID-19 Vaccine Getting Bills For Nearly $200
When Glen Cote of Acton drove to his appointment at CVS for the new COVID-19 vaccine, he was shocked to receive a text on his phone minutes before his appointment, letting him know that the vaccine would cost $190.99. "Nightmare is the first word that comes to mind," he explained to WBZ-TV. Cote is covered by MassHealth, the state's program for Medicaid. (Rex, 9/19)
More on the vaccine rollout —
Reuters:
Pfizer Forecasts 24% COVID Vaccination Rate In US This Year
Pfizer expects 24% of the U.S. population, or about 82 million people, to receive COVID-19 shots this year, CFO David Denton said at a conference on Monday, reiterating the vaccine maker's estimates from earlier this year. (9/18)
CNN:
Covid-19 Vaccination Rates Lag Behind Flu’s, But Getting Shots Together May Help
Every year since 2010, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that everyone in the country ages 6 months and older receive a flu vaccine. But that has resulted in just fewer than half of all adults and about 58% of kids getting the shot each year, according to CDC data. (Tirrell, 9/19)
NBC News:
Vivek Ramaswamy Regrets Taking The Covid Vaccine. His Wife, A Surgeon, Does Not
Vivek Ramaswamy said he regrets taking the two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine he’s received. He also said at a recent campaign stop that he and his wife, surgeon Apoorva Ramaswamy, “disagree on things sometimes,” and that’s OK. One of those things is their feelings about the Covid-19 vaccine, Apoorva Ramaswamy told NBC News in an interview. Dr. Ramaswamy, who is a laryngologist at Ohio State University, said she has no regrets about taking the jabs to protect against Covid, putting her decision in terms of her responsibility to the patients she sees. (Tabet and Koretski, 9/18)
KFF Health News:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Injects Presidential Politics Into The Covid Vaccine Debate
As Americans consider whether to take advice from federal health officials and get an updated covid vaccine, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is drumming the message that ignited his national political career: Ignore what the federal government tells you about covid-19. Last week — as polling showed him running a distant second to Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination — DeSantis convened a virtual roundtable featuring a panel of covid vaccine skeptics. Their mission: to swat away the FDA’s findings that the new shots are safe and effective for those 6 months and older. (Galewitz and Chang, 9/18)
USA Today:
Dr. Peter Hotez Warns Of Deadly Anti-Vaccine Movement In New Book
Dr. Peter Hotez is no stranger to controversy. A pediatric infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Hotez began taking on the anti-vaccine movement when his now-adult daughter was a child. Activists blamed her autism and that of others on vaccines. Hotez, who develops vaccines for neglected tropical diseases, didn't buy it. He took them on directly in his 2020 book "Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad." (Weintraub, 9/19)
In covid vaccine research —
CIDRAP:
COVID Vaccination After Long COVID May Be Linked To Better Outcomes
A new observational study from Canadian researchers reveals that COVID vaccination after long COVID was tied to fewer symptoms, increased well-being, and less inflammation. The study, based on participants in Montreal, is published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. Long COVID, or post-COVID condition (PCC), is a major emerging public health issue, as 10% to 30% of COVID-19 patients who are not hospitalized, and 50% to 70% hospitalized patients, experience an array of symptoms lasting more than 12 weeks after acute infection. (Soucheray, 9/18)
CIDRAP:
Study: Original Pfizer COVID Vaccine 33% Effective Against Emergency, Urgent Care In Young Kids
A new study in JAMA estimates that the original single-strain Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine conferred 33% protection against COVID-19 emergency department (ED) and urgent care (UC) visits for children younger than 5 years during Omicron variant predominance. Researchers from Kaiser Permanente and Pfizer conducted a test-negative case-control study among 24,261 patients aged 6 months to 4 years diagnosed as having an acute respiratory infection (ACI) and tested for SARS-CoV-2 at Kaiser Permanente Southern California from July 2022 to May 2023. Of all children, 48% were seen in the ED, 29% visited the UC, and 23% were outpatients. (Van Beusekom, 9/18)
