Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
20 Million AstraZeneca Doses Stockpiled In US
Bloomberg: Biden’s Orphaned AstraZeneca Stockpile Rises To 20 Million Doses
The U.S. stockpile of the controversial AstraZeneca Plc coronavirus vaccine has grown to more than 20 million doses, according to people familiar with the matter, even as the shot looks increasingly unlikely to factor into President Joe Biden’s domestic vaccination campaign. AstraZeneca has yet to request Food and Drug Administration authorization for the two-dose vaccine, and the company faces safety questions abroad and scrutiny from U.S. regulators who’ve already rebuked it for missteps during clinical trials and partial data releases. (Wingrove, 4/8)
The Washington Post: Law Enforcement Cracks Down On Fake Coronavirus Cures And Vaccines
The Maryland U.S. attorney’s office is cracking down on fraudulent websites pushing fake coronavirus treatments and vaccines. The office announced yesterday that it had seized three websites purporting to be the websites of actual biotechnology companies responding to the coronavirus, but actually were stealing people's personal information and conducting other scams. (Zakrzewski, 4/8)
In other news about the vaccine rollout —
NH Union Leader: NH To Open COVID-19 Vaccinations To All Adults -- Including Out-Of-Staters
Starting April 19, anyone 16 or older can register for a COVID-19 vaccine in New Hampshire — regardless of residency — Gov. Chris Sununu announced Thursday. The move was a clear about-face from last week, when Sununu pushed back against critics who demanded he let out-of-state college students be vaccinated here. (Landrigan, 4/8)
Philadelphia Inquirer: Pa. Lawmaker Wants To Compel Wolf Administration To Release Details Of Wasted COVID-19 Vaccine Doses
A state lawmaker wants to compel the Wolf administration to make public details on wasted COVID-19 vaccine doses, information it refused to release to Spotlight PA. Although vaccine providers are required to report when and why a dose of vaccine is “compromised,” the Pennsylvania Department of Health last month denied a public records request from Spotlight PA seeking documentation, citing a decades-old law that it has frequently used to shield the public from scrutinizing its pandemic response. The request did not seek any patient information. (Olumhense, 4/9)
Fox News: Arizona GOP Congressman Introduces No Vaccine Passport Act
Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs introduced legislation Thursday that would ban federal agencies from creating "vaccine passports." Vaccine passports are a method some have purposed to demonstrate whether or not an individual has been vaccinated from the deadly coronavirus. While proponents of such a system have said it would be helpful in reopening businesses and the travel industry, Republicans in Congress have condemned the idea as an invasion of privacy and an opening for government surveillance. (McFall, 4/8)
Health News Florida: 'Completely Ridiculous': Senate President Takes Aim At COVID 'Passports'
Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson made clear Wednesday he supports banning COVID-19 “passports” that would prove people have been vaccinated, despite calls from the cruise industry to allow their use after ships have been docked for more than a year because of the pandemic. “It would be completely ridiculous,” Simpson, R-Trilby, told reporters when asked about the passports, which have become a hot-button political issue for Republicans. “What’s next? If we have a vaccine passport, what all vaccines are we going to require on that passport? And so we have certain freedoms in this country that shouldn’t be breached, and I think that’s one of them.” (Sexton, 4/8)
Also —
NBC News: Air Force Reservist On Covid Front Lines Goes From Securing Body Bags To Delivering Vaccines
This time last year, Col. Brian Biggs of the Air Force Reserve was helping to dispatch refrigerated trucks and body bags to pandemic-ravaged New York City and other places in the Northeast that needed them the most. Now, Biggs’ mission is helping to ensure that needles loaded with the Covid-19 vaccine get into the arms of as many people as possible in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Siemaszko, 4/9)
CNBC: The Hollywood Covid-19 Vaccine Script Fighting Misinformation
As doctors and health professionals race against Covid-19 vaccination skepticism, some Hollywood producers, writers and showrunners are betting that inputting vaccines into television storylines can help curb widespread misinformation. Shows across TV networks began integrating Covid-19 into scripts, including questions about social distancing and masking, as the pandemic spread across the U.S. last March. (Subin, 4/8)
