Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Congress Will Get 8,000 More Covid Vaccines As National Rollout Expands
Axios: Scoop: Congress Gets More COVID-19 Vaccine For Staff
Congress will receive an additional 8,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday to be equally divided for staffers in the House and Senate, Axios has learned from sources who are familiar. Members of Congress were eligible for coronavirus inoculations as early as January, but just a small portion of their staff qualified to receive them at the time. Now, the circle is expanding, a move to restoring legislative operations to pre-pandemic norms. (Goba, 3/16)
CNBC: White House Covid Task Force Member Slavitt Is Optimistic 89% Of U.S. Seniors Will Take Covid Vaccine
Andy Slavitt, White House senior advisor for Covid response, predicted that a growing number of Americans will continue to take the Covid vaccine due to messaging and evidence from trusted sources. “In Israel where they’re a little bit ahead of us, 89% of seniors have chosen to take the vaccine,” Slavitt said. “We think we can get up to those kinds of numbers, if we just continue to reliably answer people’s questions, because these are very good, safe, effective vaccines.” (DeCiccio, 3/16)
In updates on vaccine eligibility —
Axios: Expanding Coronavirus Vaccine Eligibility Too Fast Could Hurt Vulnerable Americans
Several states are making their entire adult populations eligible for coronavirus vaccines well ahead of President Biden's May 1 goal. Opening up eligibility could get more shots in arms, but it also risks creating more competition for vaccines before many vulnerable Americans have received theirs. (Owens, 3/17)
CBS News: In The U.S., Postal Service Workers Not A Priority For COVID-19 Shots
Nearly four months after medical workers and nursing home residents began getting immunized against COVID-19, mail sorters, carriers and their colleagues are still not yet eligible for COVID-19 shots across much of the U.S. Given their work on the frontlines of a deadly pandemic, the nearly half a million Americans employed by the U.S. Postal Service had reason to believe they'd be among those prioritized for getting vaccinated against the coronavirus. With more than 100 active postal workers having died from COVID-19 and tens of thousands having been infected by the diseases, the American Postal Workers Union has for months pushed for its members to be recognized as essential workers in the national vaccine rollout. (Gibson, 3/16)
Los Angeles Times: California’s Huge COVID-19 Vaccine Expansion Relies On Trust. Will Cheaters Stay Away?
California on Monday began a new phase of its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, making nearly half of all residents eligible for a shot — and relying more than ever on public trust and honesty to make sure the doses get to those who need them most. The changes add to the eligibility list more than 4 million people, most notably those 16 and older who have disabilities and underlying health conditions. Previous eligibility tiers focused on certain jobs and age groups — factors that are easily verifiable to determine whether those seeking the vaccine are entitled to it under state guidelines. (Shalby and Smith, 3/16)
Georgia Health News: Kemp OKs Vaccinations For Court Personnel, Urges Providers Not To Withhold Doses
Gov. Brian Kemp said Tuesday that judges and other court personnel in Georgia are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. In announcing the move, Kemp cited the substantial backlogs in court cases in the state, because many court proceedings had to be suspended during the pandemic. “We believe it is vital to get the third branch of state government [the judiciary] back operating smoothly and safely,’’ he said. (Miller, 3/16)
Health News Florida: DeSantis Thinks Florida Will Open Vaccine To All Adults Before May 1
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he believes Florida will beat President Joe Biden’s deadline to open COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to any adult who wants it by May 1. On Monday, the state lowered the eligibility age from 65 to 60, and DeSantis again said Florida will drop the age to 55 this month. (Aboraya, 3/16)
Boston Globe: As Other States Start Vaccinating The General Public, Massachusetts Will Announce Its Schedule For Everyone
Alaska threw open its doors last week. Mississippi followed suit on Tuesday. And several other jurisdictions, including Connecticut, have announced that they will allow all adults to book COVID-19 vaccine appointments as soon as early April — weeks ahead of President Biden’s directive that states make appointments universally available by May 1. Now, more than 3 million Massachusetts residents still awaiting their turn are set to learn when this state will join the trend. Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday evening said his administration would make the announcement on Wednesday. (Vaccaro, 3/16)
ABC News: Map Shows Which States Offer COVID-19 Vaccines To Everyone
The U.S. is hurtling forward with its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, and some states, including Alaska and Mississippi, have tossed out eligibility requirements and will allow anyone 16 years old and older to get a shot. At least three states -- Connecticut, Michigan and Ohio -- have announced they'll open vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and up in the coming weeks. Currently, 21 states and Washington, D.C. allow anyone 16 and older with high-risk medical conditions to receive a vaccine. (Lenthang and Mitropoulos, 3/17)
In other news about the rollout —
Capital & Main: California's Counties Revolt Against Blue Shield's Vaccination Role
If the past few months have done nothing else, they’ve shown definitively that California’s lurching effort to vaccinate its citizens against COVID-19 will always come down to two factors: supply and logistics. Without an effective distribution plan, a large inventory doesn’t mean much. Without enough vaccine, however, nothing else matters. Given that context, it is bewildering to consider recent events. First, Gov. Gavin Newsom acknowledged that the next few weeks will be “a constrained environment in terms of access to vaccine” — governor-speak for a shortage of doses. Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer went further, saying no vaccine cavalry would be arriving from Johnson & Johnson for at least two weeks due to production issues. (Kreidler, 3/16)
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Churches, Community Groups Work With State’s COVID-19 Equity Task Force To Increase Vaccinations
Rev. Alvin Hathaway, Sr. of Union Baptist Church in West Baltimore, wants the Maryland Equity Task Force to hold a second COVID-19 vaccine clinic at his church after one held there recently attracted about 250 people. Hathaway said given the church’s proximity to public transit and its role in the community, it makes sense to use it to reach people who might find it difficult to get to other vaccination sites. (Louis, 3/16)
Health News Florida: CDC: Only 3% Of Floridians Miss Second Dose Of COVID Vaccine
Only about 3 percent of Floridians have missed the second dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, according to a CDC report released Monday. That translates to about 33,000 Floridians. However, recent studies show that both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine provide significant protection with just one dose. (Aboraya, 3/16)
