Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trials Start On Army-Developed Covid Vaccine
The Wall Street Journal: Covid-19 Vaccine Developed By U.S. Army Begins Human Testing
The U.S. Army will start testing among adult volunteers an Army-developed Covid-19 vaccine that researchers say may protect against a variety of coronavirus variants. Army doctors plan to start testing on Tuesday the protein-based shot in as many as 72 adults ages 18 to 55 at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., the institute said. The team will test whether the vaccine safely induces the desired immune response in study subjects. (Loftus, 4/6)
In other updates on the vaccine rollout —
The Oregonian: All Oregonians Over 16 Will Be Eligible For COVID Vaccine April 19
All Oregonians over the age of 16 will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine on April 19, Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday, nearly two weeks earlier than originally planned. Widespread vaccine eligibility was previously expected May 1. (Williams, 4/6)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Is Expanding Preregistration For The COVID Vaccine. Here’s What You Need To Know.
Everyone in Maryland who is 16 or older will be eligible next week to get the coronavirus vaccine at any site offering shots in the state, Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday. And people 16 and older can get shots this week, starting Tuesday, at the state’s five mass vaccination sites. The state will require the hundreds of other vaccine providers in Maryland to offer shots to adults and older teenagers, a total of almost 4.9 million people, as of April 12. (Oxenden, 4/6)
Axios: Coronavirus Vaccine Shopping Can Be Surprisingly Easy
Many coronavirus vaccination sites are making it easy for people to shop for the vaccine they want. Public health officials have advised for months that the best vaccine to get is the one that's first available. But giving people a choice about which shot to get could help improve overall vaccination rates, especially among more hesitant Americans. (Owens, 4/7)
Boston Globe: Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition, Alleging Unsanitary Conditions, Wants Grove Hall CVS To Stop Vaccinating
The Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition is asking officials to shut down the vaccination program at the CVS in Grove Hall after the civil rights group alleged that the store was unsanitary and allowed people seeking vaccinations to gather close together while waiting over the weekend. Louis Elisa, a member of the group’s steering committee, visited the CVS on Saturday after hearing concerns from neighbors and found a trash can overflowing with refuse and “a crowd of people bunched up together” as they awaited shots of the vaccine, he said in a phone interview Monday night. (Fox, 4/6)
Bangor Daily News: Maine Tells 90K Who Signed Up For COVID-19 Vaccines On State Site To Pursue Other Options
Maine health officials said Tuesday that 90,000 people who signed up with the state’s long-awaited coronavirus vaccine registration system should not wait for it to notify them for appointments two weeks after it was launched with few providers using it. The idea for the system was to create a waiting list for people who might get vaccinated through providers who do not have a robust scheduling system. Procurement forms for the system indicate Maine authorized $4.4 million on call center services to help with pre-registration and nearly $800,000 on a scheduling service. (Andrews, 4/6)
San Francisco Chronicle: Gov. Newsom Vows To Keep Coliseum Vax Site Open, Says State Will Match Supply
Both the Coliseum and the Cal State Los Angeles vaccination site “are remaining operational,” Newsom told a news conference at San Francisco City College. Both were started as special federal-state sites to provide large numbers of shots in low-income areas. “It will be a seamless operation. The only thing is that we’re not going to get the direct allocation of vaccines from the federal government,” Newsom said. “That’s the only change. Otherwise, there will be no perceptible change in a meaningful way to the public.” (Bobrowsky, 4/6)
KHN: California Counties A Hodgepodge Of Highs And Lows In Vaccinating Vulnerable Seniors
Even as California prepares to expand vaccine eligibility on April 15 to all residents age 16 and up, the state has managed to inoculate only about half its senior population — the 65-and-older target group deemed most vulnerable to death and serious illness in the pandemic. Overall, nearly 56% of California seniors have received the full course of a covid vaccine, according to the latest data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about average compared with other states — not nearly as high as places like South Dakota, where almost 74% of seniors are fully vaccinated, but also not as far behind as Hawaii, which has reached 44%. The data, current as of Tuesday, does not include seniors who have received only the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. (Gold, 4/7)
