Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
70% Or Not 70%: White House Quiet On Risks To July 4 Vaccine Deadline
The Hill: White House Officials Won't Say If US Will Meet July Vaccine Goal
White House officials won't say whether they believe the U.S. will meet President Biden's goal of getting 70 percent of adults partially vaccinated against COVID-19 by July 4. But even if that goal is not met, administration officials insist it won't negatively impact the country's overall recovery. (Weixel, 6/17)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Vice President Harris Visits Georgia To Urge COVID-19 Vaccinations
Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting Atlanta Friday, part of a White House campaign to urge more Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine as inoculation rates continue to decline across Georgia. After touching down at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Harris plans to visit the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Sweet Auburn for a tour of a pop-up vaccination site at around noon. She’ll then head to Clark Atlanta University to deliver remarks at a vaccination mobilization event, slated for 1:40 p.m. (Hallerman and Hart, 6/18)
CNN: The US Must Vaccinate Most Of The Country Against Covid-19 By Winter To Avoid More Variants, Expert Says
With the odds stacked against the US reaching the target of 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4 -- a goal set by President Joe Biden -- a vaccine expert said time is running out to get ahead of the potential spread of Covid-19 variants. "Vaccines are our only way out of this," Dr. Paul Offit told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "Unless we vaccinate a significant percentage of the population before winter hits, you're going to see more spread and the creation of more variants, which will only make this task more difficult." (Holcombe, 6/18)
Stateline: Lowest Rates, Highest Hurdles: Southern States Tackle Vaccine Gap
At the beginning of the pandemic, LaShonda McKinney knew access to transportation would be a barrier for some people in the rural Mississippi Delta who needed a COVID-19 test. McKinney, a Bolivar County native, offered people free rides through the county’s council on aging, where she serves as executive director. Once COVID-19 vaccinations became available, the agency offered free rides to vaccination sites, but as vaccine supply exceeded demand in Mississippi and vaccine hesitancy persisted, the calls for rides dropped. “I don’t think transportation is the issue,” McKinney told Stateline. “I think it's more of the fear of the unknown than them having access to transportation.” (Wright, 6/17)
Roll Call: Immigrants Crucial To Vaccinating US, But Gaps Remain
When Cynthia Garcia took her father to get his COVID-19 vaccination, he was turned away. A 59-year-old diabetic, Cynthia’s dad qualified for a vaccine early in the rollout. But because he is an undocumented immigrant and couldn’t show identification when the pharmacy asked, he didn’t get his shot. (Simon, 6/17)
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Los Angeles Times: California Administers 40 Millionth Dose Of COVID-19 Vaccine
In a week of milestones, California has hit another major turning point in the fight against the pandemic: More than 40 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have now been administered across the state. State officials announced the latest total, 40,098,803 doses, Thursday afternoon, two days after the economy was fully reopened. Officials and health experts have said California’s high vaccination rates have reduced the risk of outbreaks with the wide reopening, noting that new cases and deaths continue to plummet. (Smith, 6/17)
CNBC: Dr. Fauci: What Herd Immunity Against Covid Would Look Like
Since the start of the pandemic, many people have anticipated “herd immunity” against Covid as an elusive finish line. The catch is, no one even knows for certain what the threshold of herd immunity for Covid-19 is, Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical advisor, told YouTube’s Dr. Mike Varshavski during an interview published June 6. So how will we know if and when we’re there? “When you get that level of protection that turns out to be the threshold of herd immunity, you’ll know it, because you’ll see the infections almost disappear,” Fauci told Varshavski. (Stieg, 6/17)
