Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Calls Grow To Vaccinate Prison Populations, Teachers Next
Los Angeles Times: National Commission Urges COVID-19 Vaccine For Prisons
With cases of COVID-19 continuing to spread through prisons, guards and inmates should be among the first to receive vaccinations against the virus that causes the illness, a national commission recommended Monday. The vaccine recommendation by the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, whose members include former U.S. Attys. Gen. Loretta Lynch and Albert Gonzales, was the main takeaway in a set of findings released by the panel. The group also called for an increase in the number of prisoners released during the pandemic and for some incoming inmates to be diverted from prisons in order to slow the spread of the disease. (Winton, 12/15)
Indianapolis Star: ACLU Says Vulnerable Communities Should Have Priority COVID Vaccine
In a letter sent to Gov. Eric Holcomb Tuesday, the ACLU says that some communities are in "dire need of protection from COVID-19" and should be immunized as soon as possible. COVID-19 has disproportionately affected a number of vulnerable communities, including those in long-term care facilities, prisons, jails and immigrant detention as well as communities of color, the letter states. (Rudavsky, 12/15)
Houston Chronicle: Cy-Fair ISD, Fort Bend Officials Ask Texas To Give Teachers COVID Vaccine Priority
Some Houston-area officials have joined a growing chorus of education leaders and elected representatives this week in calling on the state to put educators closer to the front of the line for COVID-19 vaccines. Fort Bend County Judge KP George and Texas Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, sent a letter to Gov. Abbott asking that teachers be among the first to get the vaccines, noting that as more students return to classrooms for in-person instruction, the risk of exposing teachers to the virus also rises. (Webb, 12/15)
Boston Globe: Eventually, Getting The COVID-19 Vaccine Could Be Required For Most
The first shots against the coronavirus made their way into the arms of eager front line health care workers nationwide this week, providing a glimmer of hope for a post-pandemic world. But once those volunteers are all vaccinated, some workers who are less excited about the vaccine could face mandates to receive it anyway, public health and legal experts say. For now, doses of the newly authorized Pfizer vaccine are in short supply and have not yet been approved for use in children or pregnant women, meaning any potential mandates are likely still months or more away. But while President-elect Joe Biden has said he doesn’t support a vaccine mandate, in the future, private businesses, schools, and perhaps even states and localities could require the shots for those who don’t qualify for religious or medical exemptions. (Goodwin, 12/15)
In other vaccine news —
AP: Civil Air Patrol Helps Distribute Vaccine In South Dakota
The South Dakota Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is assisting the state Department of Health in delivering the first allocation of coronavirus vaccines. The Civil Air Patrol said it’s flying the Pfizer vaccine to smaller communities in South Dakota with its fleet of single-engine Cessna aircraft, flown by its volunteer pilots and crews. Other volunteer members will assist with mission planning and logistical support, the patrol said. (12/15)
